More kids afflicted with measles this year
THE provincial government reported a surge in cases of measles this year but it felt the number still did not warrant the declaration of an epidemic.
The Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) here has recorded 490 suspected cases of measles, including eight deaths from January to April this year.
Dr. Policarpio Manuel, officer-in-charge hospital director, said last week that in 2013, they only had 12 cases with zero death.
The victims were mostly children who had travel history to Metro Manila where a high incidence of measles was noted, Manuel said.
San Carlos City had three deaths and one each in the towns of Malasiqui, Calasiao, Binmaley, Bayambang and Sta. Barbara. They died due to bronchopneumonia, he pointed out.
Manuel blamed the deaths on relatives who delayed seeking medical attention in hospitals and chose instead to rely on “treatment” by quack doctors.
“The patients were only rushed to hospitals when they were already seriously ill,” he said.
The symptoms in the first five days of illness include high fever, coughs and cold accompanied by teary eyes, and skin rashes appear in the face and body, Manuel said.
Manuel said the actual number of measles cases in Pangasinan is higher as the data reported only represents those confined at the PPH.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, provincial health officer of Pangasinan, said that when 1,200 blood samples from patients suspected to have measles were sent to the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine, 91 were returned positive of measles from January to May 12 this year.
Last year, 300 blood samples were sent and 44 were confirmed positive of measles, she added.
De Guzman said based on their survey of mothers of measles patients, many children did not get their vaccinations early on.
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