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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/05 August) – The City Health Office is conducting mass vaccination against measles at the evacuation centers and transitory sites that house thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) or “bakwits” in this city.
Dr. Rodelin Agbulos, City Health Officer, said they started the conduct of mass vaccination after his personnel have recorded seven suspected cases of measles with one mortality from July 7 until last Sunday at the transitory sites in Barangays Taluksangay and Tulungatung.
He explained these remain as suspected cases since there are no laboratory findings yet except for clinical indication.
Agbulos said four of the seven cases were recorded at the transitory site in Barangay Taluksangay while the remaining three in Barangay Tulungatung.
Latest city government records showed that the transitory site in Barangay Taluksangay houses 396 families comprising of 1,946 individuals while the one in Tulungatung houses 433 families consisting of 2,536 persons.
Agbulos disclosed that the mortality was recorded at the transitory site in Barangay Taluksangay.
He said priority to be vaccinated with anti-measles vaccines are the children.
City government records showed that there are 4,776 families consisting of 25,498 individuals that are still staying at the five evacuation centers and six transitory sites.
They are among the thousands of families displaced during the 20-day standoff in September last year, which started when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members loyal to MNLF founding-chair Nur Misuari infiltrated several coastal barangays in this city.