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Measles cases jump in 2023, but still lower compared to pre-pandemic years

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Raphael Bosano, ABS-CBN News

MANILA – The number of measles cases in the Philippines for January have increased by 638 percent compared to the same period in 2022, according to latest data from the Department of Health.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/26/22/3-million-kids-at-risk-contracting-measles-by-end-2022">DOH: 3 million children at risk of contracting measles by end-2022</a></li></ul>For the first month of 2023, the country logged a total of 59 cases of the highly contagious illness compared to 8 cases last year.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/05/22/doh-measles-rubella-cases-up-by-153-percent">DOH: Measles, rubella cases in Philippines up by 153 percent</a></li></ul>Zamboanga logged the highest number of cases in the country at 13, while Ilocos Region and Central Luzon both recorded 8 and CALABARZON with 7 cases. However, it is important to note that mobility restrictions between January 2023 and January 2022 are very different--restrictions were tighter in 2022 due to the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. Hence, the chances of measles infection was less likely.Comparing to pre-pandemic January 2020, which logged almost 922 cases for the first month alone, figures this year remain significantly lower.The same can be observed with other notifiable diseases like dengue, which for January 2023, saw 7,804 cases compared to 4,610 for the same period in 2022; cholera, with 240 cases this month compared to 415 in January 2022; and influenza like-illnesses with 11,037 this month compared to last year’s 7,966. Drastic declines in the number of measles cases were seen in both 2021 and 2022 amid tightened mobility restrictions. The last outbreak of measles occurred in 2018 to 2019. The agency has earlier said that the country remains vulnerable to another spike in cases as an outbreak usually occurs every four to five years.In the latter months of 2022, the DOH conducted catch-up routine vaccinations against measles and other diseases in the hopes of avoiding a rise in infections amid the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The number of measles cases in the Philippines for January have increased by 638 percent compared to the same period in 2022. 

Measles cases jump in 2023, but still lower compared to pre-pandemic years

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Measles cases jump in 2023, but still lower compared to pre-pandemic years

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 20, 2023 02:49 PM PHT

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