Philippine News Agency
Measles up in BARMM, kids’ vaccination urged
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa aims to control the measles outbreak in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) within four to six weeks through an intensified vaccination drive.
As of April 11, the Bangsamoro Ministry of Health (MOH-BARMM) has recorded 848 measles cases since January, resulting in three fatalities.
This is a notable increase from previous reports, which stated 1,600 cases and four deaths in BARMM.
Despite the revised figures, vaccine hesitancy among parents remains a significant challenge for over 2,590 village health workers involved in the ongoing vaccination drive.
To address this, Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Sheik Abdulrauf Guialani assured the public that the measles vaccines are safe and "halal" (permissive) in Islam, citing a 2019 "fatwa" (edict) by Islamic scholars that permits vaccination.
The MOH-BARMM launched a massive 15-day vaccination campaign on April 1 to vaccinate over 1.3 million vulnerable children in the region.
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