According to officials, the specter of measles is looming on the horizon of the Philippines as confidence in vaccines decreases

MANILA (Reuters) – Health experts warned Monday that measles outbreaks in the Philippines may be due to incomplete vaccination programs and a decline in confidence in vaccination.

According to doctors and WHO officials, the number of measles cases has almost tripled, from 17,300 to 11,300 in November, compared to last year's figures. Most of these cases occurred in conflict zones in the south of the country.

"We were on the verge of eradicating measles, but we are now seeing an increase in the number of cases as confidence in vaccines has dropped this year," said Lulu Bravo of the Philippine Vaccination Foundation at the University of California. 39, a meeting on immunization coverage.

"It's disturbing, Filipinos have become ignorant about science." The decline in confidence has been attributed to political factors among other reasons.

Deaths from measles were not reported in 2014 and vaccination efforts in many countries have eliminated the disease. Four children died of measles this year on the southern island of Mindanao.

The World Health Organization said that only 7 percent of children eligible for vaccination in conflict areas in the southern Philippines had been vaccinated against measles this year.