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SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/17 May)—City health workers have conducted a massive vaccination drive here against measles as cases continue to rise, officials said.
Annette Villaces, city information officer, said that 160 persons, mostly children, have been afflicted by the viral disease from January 1 to May 13 this year.
City health officials declared a measles outbreak on May 3.
The massive vaccination drive is continuing in the different villages in the city to combat the disease, targeting children six months to four years old.
Dr. Romulo Ybiernas, chief epidemiologist of the Surigao City Health Office, said the vaccination drive includes mostly the villages of Taft, Washington and San Juan, where most of the victims reside.
Last April 2, a patient died in a private hospital here due to measles.
The Department of Health in Region 13 or Caraga Region has dispatched personnel from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit to help combat the disease, Villaces said. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews)