CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY —- The number of suspected ‘measles and rubella’ cases reported in the Northern Mindanao region this year has increased by 82 percent according to the Department of Health Region 10 (DOH-10).

Dr. Emma Imperio, DOH-10 National Immunization Program medical coordinator, in an interview said the region has already tallied 122 suspected measles and rubella cases from January 1 to October 16, 2022.

This is 55 cases higher compared to the reported cases in the same period last year.

The province of Bukidnon has the highest number with 50 suspected cases, followed by Cagayan de Oro City with 21 cases, Misamis Oriental with 20 cases, Lanao del Norte with 16 cases, Misamis Occidental 13 cases; Iligan City two cases and Camiguin with zero case.

Imperio said the increase is probably because the government has been prioritizing the vaccination against Covid-19.

“Maybe because the Covid-19 vaccination has been prioritized. And what happened was the vaccine this year arrived late in the region,” she added in a phone interview on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Imperio explained that there was a delay on the renewal in the DOH central office as to their third party courier that would transport the vaccines from the central office going to different regions.

Apart from that, the DOH central office, she said, has also prioritized in the delivery of the vaccines those regions with the most number of unvaccinated children. Region 10 is among the top 5 regions in the country with the least unvaccinated children.

However, Imperio clarified that the DOH, especially the local government units, (LGU) are still continuing the routine immunization for the eligible population despite the ongoing threat of Covid-19.

Despite the increase, Imperio said there is no clustering of two or more measles and rubella cases for the last four weeks in one barangay.

Imperio made the remarks in reaction to the statement of Dr. Alethea De Guzman, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director, in a media forum on Oct. 14 wherein the doctor said that measles and rubella cases in the Philippines are on an ‘upward trend,’ stressing that all regions in the country are at high risk for a possible measles outbreak due to low vaccine coverage.

In region 10, a total of 38,012 children aged 0 to 11 months were vaccinated for the first dose of Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV) out of the 99,908 total eligible population; and 35,774 children aged 0 to 12 months were vaccinated for the second MCV out of the 108,469 total eligible population.

For the number and proportion of fully immunized children, the region has only tallied 34,163 fully immunized children aged 0 to 12 months out of the 108,469 total eligible population.

The data are based from the Field Health Services Information System for the first and second quarter of 2022.

Imperio said the DOH is already planning to conduct the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MRSIA) next year to combat the increase in the cases and to protect the children from the said diseases.