DOH Advises Parents to Keep Sick Children Away from School to Prevent Further Measles Outbreak

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has declared a measles outbreak in Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Taguig, and Valenzuela as the number of measles cases spiked at the beginning of the year.
To further prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease, Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag reminded parents not to send their children to school if they show symptoms of measles infection.  According to him, even if children don’t show any skin blemishes, as long as they have cough, colds, they should stay at home.
Tayag noted that a single measles case can infect up to 18 other individuals compared to only five for human immunodeficiency virus and three for flu.  He also added that the virus can live up to two hours outside the host body and a person who enters a room vacated by another who has measles can still get infected.
(News Source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/01/06/1275567/doh-measles-outbreak-mm)