Philippines measles 2015: Cases and deaths way down compared to 2014
The measles outbreak in the Philippines made world headlines last year many times, especially for imported measles outbreak in Western countries like the US and Canada linked to travelers from the archipelago.
By the end of 2014, the Philippines saw more than 58,000 measles cases and 110 deaths linked to the vaccine preventable disease.
However, 2015 is a new year and after extensive vaccination campaigns one year ago called “Ligtas sa Tigdas”, or translated “Safe from measles”, we see the measles case count is dramatically down during the first seven months of the year.
From Jan 1. to Jul. 31, 2014, health officials saw 44,624 suspected and confirmed measles cases in the country. During the same period in 2015, that number has dropped to 2,384 total cases.
In addition, the measles death tally this year is two. This compares to the first 7 months of 2014 when 91 fatalities were reported.
Related: How contagious is measles? Answer: Very
According to the World Health Organization, measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus. In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
The disease remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Approximately 145,700 people died from measles in 2013 – mostly children under the age of 5.
Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch
Follow @bactiman63
Related:
- Philippines Ebola update: Macaque exports suspended
- Philippines reports increase of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
- Dengue fever in Asia update: Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines
[…] Philippines measles 2015: Cases and deaths way down compared to 2014 […]
[…] Read more at The Global Dispatch Related News 6 Q’s About the News | Typhoon Hagupit Hits the Philippines How many people had to evacuate their homes in the Philippines due to Typhoon Hagupit? Source:: 6 Q’s About the News | Typhoon Hagupit Hits the Philippines READ MORE Where’s the outrage over these deaths? Al Sharpton wasn't there. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder didn't make any prejudicial, conclusion-jumping comments before the game. No visiting Cowboys nor home-team Bears engaged in photo-op demonstrations. There were… … READ MORE MTV‘s ‘The Challenge’ carries on despite two cast deaths When Diem Brown, a beloved competitor on the popular MTV reality competition series “The Challenge,” passed away in November following a 10-year battle with cancer, it never crossed producer Jon… … READ MORE AG Schneiderman requests power to probe police brutality cases State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman requested Monday that Gov. Cuomo grant him the authority to investigate and potentially prosecute alleged police brutality cases that result in the death of an… … READ MORE Investors Bought Into Nearly $250 Billion in Global I.P.O.s in 2014 Even excluding the $25 billion Alibaba offering, a phenomenon in its own right, the value of worldwide initial public offerings was up nearly 36 percent over 2013. Source:: Investors Bought … READ MORE Powerful Typhoon slams into eastern Philippines LEGAZPI, Philippines — Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the central Philippines' east coast late Saturday, knocking out power and toppling trees in a region where 650,000 people have fled to safety, … READ MORE New York City mayor gets booed, some turned backs at police graduation, amid tensions over deaths NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is getting some boos at a police graduation ceremony that comes with tensions high between him and rank-and-file police.The cadets … READ MORE Release of classified report on CIA torture will cause ‘violence and deaths’ overseas, intelligence officials warn Foreign governments and U.S. intelligence agencies are predicting that the release of a Senate report examining the use of torture by the CIA will cause “violence and deaths” abroad, the … READ MORE 6 Q’s About the News | Typhoon Hagupit Where’s the outrage over these deaths? MTV‘s ‘The Challenge’ carries on despite two cast AG Schneiderman requests power to probe police brutality Investors Bought Into Nearly $250 Billion in Global Powerful Typhoon slams into eastern Philippines New York City mayor gets booed, some turned Release of classified report on CIA torture will var hupso_services_c=new Array("twitter","facebook_like","facebook_send","google");var hupso_counters_lang = "en_GB";var hupso_image_folder_url = "";var hupso_url_c="";var hupso_title_c="Philippines measles 2015: Cases and deaths way down compared to 2014"; […]