MANILA: The Philippines recorded 4,718 measles-rubella cases from January to mid-November this year, 37 per cent higher than the 3,434 cases logged in the same period of 2024, the country's Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday (Nov 15).
Around 73 per cent of cases are unvaccinated and most of them are children aged five years and below, the DOH said in a statement.
The DOH raised concern over rising infections in crowded evacuation centres following recent typhoons and earthquakes.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the DOH has been deploying medical teams to evacuation centres in disaster-hit areas to administer measles-rubella vaccines.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that can lead to severe complications and death, while rubella is a contagious viral infection transmitted by airborne droplets that occurs most often in children and young adults, according to the World Health Organisation. - Xinhua
