Anne Curtis bat for vaccination during a measles epidemic

MANILA – Actress and actress Anne Curtis emphasized that more than ever, people should be aware of the importance of immunization against diseases such as measles.

This after the Ministry of Health (DOH) confirmed Wednesday measles outbreaks in the National Capital Region (NCR) and in central Luzon.

"That's why it's important to have proper immunization and to deal with parents, caregivers and centers," said Curtis, named UNICEF Goodwill Ambbadador on Thursday.

"This should be a priority because I understand that many children are affected by the measles epidemic," added the facilitator "It's Showtime".

Unvaccinated young children are at greatest risk of acquiring measles, an airborne disease that infects the respiratory tract. Its complications include severe diarrhea, pneumonia, blindness and even death.

Dr. Ruby Constantino, Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control at the DOH, said earlier that more than 2 million Filipino children are at risk of getting measles because of lack of immunization.

In the Philippines, the number of measles cases has quadrupled from 4,000 in 2017 to 21,000 last year.

Constantino attributed this increase to the fear of Dengvaxia, which eroded Filipino confidence in vaccines.