By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

According to Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, the recent rise of measles cases in the province can be attributed to the Dengvaxia vaccine, which reportedly contributed to the deaths of several dengue patients. He explained, the national government has been slowly restoring the public’s confidence in vaccinations since the height of the scare.
“I think by now they realized that [this] is different from the dengvaxia,” Lacson said.
Last year, Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) head, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, said the Dengvaxia controversy may create misinformation and clarified that vaccines are intended to prevent epidemics.
“We should not generalize because there are other vaccines,” he affirmed.
PHO recently reported five measles-related fatalities have been recorded since January of this year.
According to data as of June 15, there were two deaths reported in Escalante City with Bago City, Sagay City, and Talisay City each documenting one.
In terms of the number of measles cases, the province has seen instances jump to 772, up from the 43 recorded during the same period last year, which constitutes a nearly 1,700 percent increase.
Meanwhile, San Carlos City currently has the highest number of cases with 93.
The report also noted, most patients were children aged between one and four years old, with 57 percent of them being unvaccinated./DGB, WDJ