Outbreak of measles declared in Philippines

An outbreak of the highly contagious measles virus has been declared by authorities in the Philippines, affecting several areas, including the capital Manila.

In the space of two weeks, there have been nearly 2,000 cases reported and 26 deaths, an increase of 74 per cent from last year.

The measles virus can be significantly dangerous for babies and small children and there is an increasing concern for the 2.4 million unvaccinated children in the country.

There has been growing reluctance amongst parents to have their children vaccinated following complications relating to the vaccine Dengvaxia.

World Health Organisation’s Dr Gundo Weiler, who represents the Philippines said rates of uptakes of the immunisation were well below the target of 95 per cent and were decreasing.

The rate in 2016 was around 75 per cent, but this fell to 60 per cent in 2017 and has fallen even further in 2018.

Dr Weiler said “In this scenario, we have a pool of children building up over time who are not protected and who are susceptible to measles.”

The country’s health secretary Francisco Duque said in a statement “We are declaring an outbreak as cases have increased in the past weeks and to strengthen surveillance of new cases and alert mothers and caregivers to be more vigilant.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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