That protection could dip even lower if some of the antibodies lost are potent defenses known as neutralizing antibodies,” HMS said in a statement. “It makes more sense to really have your children vaccinated because we now have this kind of problem,” he said. In February, the Department of Health (DOH) declared a measles outbreak as the immunization coverage rate dropped to a dismal 40 percent. As a result, the number of measles cases this year soared by more than 157 percent. As of Oct. 26, there had been 42,757 measles cases nationwide, with 566 deaths, compared to only 16,628 cases with 147 deaths during the same period last year.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 12, 2019 20:34 UTC