Measles cases up 41% in W. Visayas; DOH launches catch-up vax drive

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH-6) will conduct a large-scale catch-up immunization campaign from Aug. 10 to 28, providing additional doses of measles and rubella (MR) vaccines to children aged 6 to 59 months, amid a rise in cases linked to low vaccination coverage.

DOH-6 said the region’s failure to sustain the 95 percent routine immunization target or achieve herd immunity in recent years has contributed to the continued transmission of MR in communities.

“MR continues to spread in communities, and the reason for that is that over the past few years, we were not able to achieve 95% immunization coverage. We have many undervaccinated and unvaccinated children,” said Dr. Jose Martin Atienza, DOH-6 Immunization Program Coordinator.

“However, this disease is vaccine-preventable, and immunization remains the best way to prevent children from contracting vaccine-preventable diseases,” Atienza added.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the measles virus that spreads through droplets from the nose, mouth, or throat of infected persons when they cough or sneeze.

Rubella, also called German measles or three-day measles, is a contagious viral infection caused by the rubella virus, transmitted through airborne droplets when infected people sneeze or cough.

MR is among the 14 vaccine-preventable diseases under the national immunization program. The vaccine is administered at 9 months of age, followed by a second dose at 12 months, with at least a four-week interval between doses.

From Aug. 10 to 28, DOH-6 will implement Phase 3 of the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA), a nationwide catch-up campaign that provides additional MR vaccine doses.

“Our target is to vaccinate all children with measles rubella vaccines and to give them Vitamin A supplementation regardless of their immunization status,” Atienza said.

Earlier phases of the campaign were conducted in Mindanao, particularly the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and in June in the National Capital Region, including adjacent areas in Regions III and IV-A.

DOH-6 said it targets 408,114 children aged 6 to 59 months for the MR-SIA.

The breakdown per province and highly urbanized city is as follows: Aklan, 52,749 children; Antique, 56,730; Capiz, 68,665; Guimaras, 16,637; Iloilo Province, 172,360; and Iloilo City, 40,973.

Increasing cases

While immunization coverage in Western Visayas improved from 59.52 percent in 2022 to 65.82 percent in 2024, Atienza noted a slight decline in 2025, with the immunization rate slipping to 64.93 percent.

DOH-6 data showed that the region recorded 444 measles and rubella cases in 2025, a 41 percent increase from the previous year.

Of these, 22 were laboratory-confirmed measles cases, six were confirmed rubella cases, and eight were epidemiologically linked measles cases, while 12 remain pending laboratory confirmation.

The median age of cases was 17 years old, with no reported clustering of infections and no recorded deaths.

Capiz, which had gone three years without a measles case, reported infections again in 2025. Guimaras, while recording no confirmed cases, saw an increase in suspected infections.

Iloilo City and Iloilo Province also recorded an upward trend in cases.

“Because we have not reached our target of 95 percent, we can see that over the past year, measles cases have continued to rise,” Atienza said.

He added that vaccine hesitancy remains a concern, along with cases where some parents are unaware of the vaccines their children should receive.

“This disease, though highly infectious, can be prevented. One of the best ways to stop the spread of infection is through measles-containing vaccines, which are given for free in health centers,” he said.

“Our vaccines are the safest, most effective, and free way of protecting our children against the most common vaccine-preventable diseases,” he added.