By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) Environmental Sanitation Division head, Dr. Grace Tan, recently affirmed there are currently no cases of measles in the city, which has not recorded a single case over the past three years.

Last week, the Department of Health (DOH) in Negros Oriental declared a measles outbreak in the province; in addition, four suspected cases of measles are currently under observation in Kabankalan City.

Tan noted the current measles immunization performance in the city is 74 percent, with the remaining 26 percent covered by private doctors.

The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO), meanwhile, is currently targeting 95 percent measles immunization coverage in the province.

Earlier, DOH-Negros Oriental head, Dr. Socrates Villamor, explained the measles cases reported since the early months of this year are minimal, but due to the recent campaign to make the country measles-free, even one single case can be considered an “outbreak.”

Based on recent records, there are currently 21 cases in Negros Oriental.

The DOH provincial head said most cases are among adult patients and they are currently working on cutting the transmission rate, especially to children below five years of age.

Villamor also advised the public to regularly wash their hands in order to avoid contracting the virus./DGB, WDJ