DOH boosts routine immunization amid declining coverage, rising measles cases

The Department of Health (DOH) is reinforcing its routine immunization programs in response to declining vaccine coverage and trust in the Western Pacific region, as highlighted by the World Health Organization.

The DOH has noted an 8 percent increase in measles-rubella (MR) cases this year, with 2,118 recorded between January 1 and May 10.

The National Capital Region (NCR) has the highest number of MR cases, followed by Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Central Luzon, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Despite the increase in cases, the case fatality rate for MR has slightly decreased to 0.42 percent.

Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive, the DOH successfully vaccinated over 1.2 million individuals in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as part of a Measles Outbreak Response Immunization (MORI).

This targeted vaccination campaign in BARMM led to a significant reduction in MR cases in the region, from 1,179 last year to 121 this year for the same period.

DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa emphasized the need to replicate such intensive vaccination efforts on a routine basis to maintain public health.