KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 22 February) — Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has warned of a possible measles outbreak in Mindanao as the Department of Health (DOH) failed to reach its herd immunity target in the country’s second largest island.
Herbosa said only 83 percent (2.3 million children) of the target 2.8 million children in Mindanao have been injected with the measles-rubella vaccine since the DOH launched its massive vaccination campaign across the island last month.
He said the DOH targets to immunize 95%, or 2.66 million children, all over Mindanao against measles and rubella diseases.
“If you don’t reach your target, the number of unvaccinated children increases. Our target is up to five years old. If there are a lot of unvaccinated children, you can get measles in schools where outbreak could easily spread,” he said in Filipino on Saturday an episode of the Metro Manila-based DZMM Teleradyo.
Herbosa said the DOH prioritized the measles-rubella vaccination in Mindanao over the two other island-groupings of Luzon and the Visayas.
Parents bring their children to a health center in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat for the measles-rubella vaccination drive of the Department of Health, which kicked off on 19 January 2026. Photo by DOH-Center for Health Development Soccsksargen Region
Eighty-three percent is high vis-à-vis the target of 95 percent to achieve herd immunity, the health chief noted, stressing the possibility of a measles outbreak in Mindanao as the target was missed.
Explaining herd immunity, Herbosa said that if there are still a lot of unvaccinated children, the outbreak will be faster because children who are not immunized will be vulnerable to the disease.
Herbosa launched the Ligtas Tigdas or the Measles-Rubella Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA) for Mindanao in General Santos City last January 19.
Assuring that it is safe and effective, he said during the launching that the DOH is targeting to immunize at least 2.8 million children aged six to 59 months old all over the island.
In Saturday’s radio interview, Herbosa urged parents across Mindanao to bring their unvaccinated children to government health centers to be vaccinated against measles and rubella diseases.
The measles- rubella vaccine is administered free of charge in local or barangay government-run health centers.
Based on DOH data from January 19 to February 15, measles-rubella vaccination is highest in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 89 percent or 511,321 children; 86% or 230,786 in Region XIII (CARAGA); 85% or 447,186 in Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula); 84% or 437,876 in Region X (Northern Mindanao); 76% or 343,677 in Region XII (Soccsksargen); and 64% or 328,185 in Region XI (Davao Region).
The same DOH data showed that the number of children who have not been vaccinated against measles and rubella stood at 65,909 in the BARMM; 38,506 in CARAGA; 76,520 in Zamboanga Peninsula; 85,743 in Northern Mindanao; 107,573 in Soccsksargen; and 184,824 in the Davao Region.
Measles is the world’s most contagious disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body, and can be deadly. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.
On the other hand, rubella, which is milder than the regular measles and called the “three-day measles,” is also a highly contagious viral disease. It spreads easily when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Most children and adults who get rubella have a mild fever and rash, a WHO briefer stated. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
