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Recent outbreaks of measles in different parts of the country reveal two realities in the long war against this viral infection.
First, the Philippines is far from being free from measles since 1998 or before. Second, the Ministry of Health (DOH) faces a tough battle against this relentless disease. As a result, recent outbreaks are not new in the country.
In 2013, four regions experienced measles outbreaks that spread throughout the country. These areas were Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Autonomous Region of Cordillera and Western Visayas. According to the report of Yoshihiro Takashima and a team of epidemiologists affiliated with the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Manila, at the National Center for Prevention and Control of diseases of the DOH, in Geneva. and the Division of Global Immunization of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This study, published in the 2015 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, revealed significant challenges in the administrative side of the strategies recommended by WHO. DOH. This is true despite the DOH's ability to achieve high vaccine performance in 2014, which was 91 percent for the age group of nine to 59 months and 94 percent for the age group of nine months to 14 years. This performance was achieved through routine free vaccination services using measles vaccines and additional vaccinations.
The problem seems to be an increase to 29% (against 18%) in cases of measles among those aged 15 and over. the age group from nine months to four years had fallen to 28% (compared with 38%). Was the increase in the 15-year-old group due to children's resistance to vaccination?
An important factor in this persistent problem appears to be the change in the genotypes of the measles virus, which may require different vaccines to provide protection. D3 genotypes predominated before 2007. Then D9 and G3 predominated from 2007 to 2009. D9 again in 2010 until 2012. Then B3 and D9 from 2013 to 2014. D3 and G3 seemed to be eliminated since 2005 and 2010, respectively .
There are four other factors we will cover next week.
JRR Tolkien wrote in "The Two Towers": "War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour us all." However, in authoritarian propaganda, the logic of this war can be twisted.
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