TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla has called on parents to have their children immunized with the anti-measles vaccine.
The call of the governor came in the wake of the increasing number of persons contacting the measles virus in Leyte.
Records from the regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) disclosed that Leyte has the highest number of measles cases.
As of this week, about 312 persons, mostly children, were afflicted with measles across the province.
And of the confirmed 16 deaths due to measles in the region, Leyte has 13, to include the four from Tacloban City.
“Those who have not yet received the measles vaccination should avail (it),” Petilla said.
The governor said that based on the reports relayed to him, the measles outbreak is not only affecting babies or children but even adults which makes it more worrisome.
Thus, Petilla is calling even the adults to have themselves vaccinated, especially those who did not receive the vaccine, or have them inoculated as a booster.
Gov. Petilla said that parents should not be afraid to have their children vaccinated and should give priority on the well-being of their children.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte has also made a similar call to parents to have their children treated with anti-measles vaccine amid the ballooning of measles cases in the country, with several region Eastern Visayas, declaring an outbreak.
The rise of measles in the province and the rest of the country was due to the scare brought by the Dengvaxia scare.
Dengvaxia is an antidote for dengue fever but was surrounded with controversy after several parents came out and claimed that their children died after receiving the said medicine.
The DOH has banned Dengvaxia as an anti-dengue fever vaccine in the country due to the controversy. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
