Health authorities agree that between 9 to 59 months, a baby will have used up their natural body defenses they inherited from their mother, that a supplemental body from immunizations will be helpful. The response was in fact widespread among medical practitioners when asked why the measles rubella and oral polio virus mass immunization is given to these aged kids and not any younger or older. Measles, a highly contagious viral disease is mostly manifested as fever, rashes which may come out later. While measles may not be among the top death-causing illnesses in the country, the complication it brings put it among the top priorities. Most patients afflicted with measles graduate into a complication of blindness, pneumonia and other pulmonary illnesses, added Macchiavelia Caliao, nurse at the Bohol Provincial Health Office. “By birth, the child will have its natural antibodies that fight infections,” medical practitioners explained.

These antibodies are the body's natural soldiers that attack any infection, and these are what a child gets from its mother, they continued. But by about the 9th month, the antibodies would have been exhausted,” explains Dr. Nelson Elle at the Kapihan sa PIA last week. To make sure this does not happen, the government is implementing its supplementary mass immunization this month, for measles, rubella and oral polio virus (MR OPV) Mass immunization in the hopes of attaining population immunity from any more outbreaks, Dr. Elle bared at the radio forum aired live over Bohol's DyTR AM. Supplemental immunizations, they said, because the government is already giving regular protection shots it dispenses from its health centers every month. We urge parents and guardians to bring their kids to immunization centers this September, to get their kids extra protection against outbreaks in measles and rubella, Dr Elle who sits as regional family and maternal health care director said. And to assure parents that the measles shots are not any concern, Elle said a child who has a shot may have a slight fever but it is normally managed like when one has a normal fever. Paracetamol will do, he said even as he assured, making the child comfortable may do just as effectively as normal fever medicines.(PIABOHOL/rac)