DOH: Measles-rubella surge possible due to low vax rate 

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday warned about a possible outbreak of measles and rubella in Mindanao if the region fails to reach herd immunity against the diseases.

According to the DOH, there are still 520,645 children who remain unvaccinated in Mindanao. The agency noted that around 2.3 million children, or 82 percent of its target immunization in the region, have received their shots as of Feb. 20.

As the agency rolled out its supplemental immunization program against measles and rubella in Mindanao on Jan. 19, it is aiming to vaccinate around 2.8 million children.

While DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa noted the current vaccination progress, he said that this is still not enough to reach the target of vaccinating 95 percent of children to reach herd immunity.

“If many children are unvaccinated, more of them will get infected, raising the possibility of an outbreak because of vulnerable kids. If 95 percent of children are protected, there will not be an outbreak because the measles will be exposed to the vaccinated children. The virus will not spread,” Herbosa said in a radio interview.

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With this, the DOH reminded that routine immunization is still being rolled out in health centers, in coordination with the local government units.

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The DOH earlier said that it started its vaccination drive in Mindanao as the region recorded low vaccination rates. It added that the vaccine rollout will begin in Luzon and Visayas in June 2026.

The agency hopes to vaccinate around 11 million children against the diseases across the country through the supplemental immunization activity.