Out the window with rural ‘cures’ for measles

By Erwin G. Beleo

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Out the window with traditional cures for measles.

Government doctors launched here last week the Department of Health’s “Ligtas Tigdas” vaccination drive to stamp out measles with an urgent call for an end to the common rural practices in addressing the sometimes deadly illness.

Dr. Hector Beñas and Dr. Eduardo Posadas, the provincial and city health officer, respectively, called on mothers to take advantage of the free measles and polio vaccinations launched here and in other parts of the country.

Beñas made a call to the public to seek professional medical help when their child suffers from symptoms of measles and discouraged them from applying traditional treatments that oftentimes aggravate the patient’s condition.

“We do not have a scientific proof that they (measles-infected patients) were cured by these primitive remedies,” Beñas said.

Beñas said Gov. Manuel Ortega has ordered the massive measles vaccination in La Union in line with the Ligtas-Tigdas activity and encouraged mothers to go to the rural health centers immediately when their children show symptoms of the infection, such as skin rashes and on-and-off fever.

In provinces, most people still believe in the medical myth of rubbing grilled red shallots on patients and then spoon-feeding them with the yolk of hard-boiled egg, claiming that the rashes would come on the skin and face and conclude that it will cure the patient.

The patient is also prevented from being exposed to the air and taking a bath until the rashes subside. The belief is that the patient would die if the rashes did not sprout from the skin and have infected the internal organs.

“It is a dangerous method, the patient may suffer from infections as we all know, measles include fever with coughs and colds,” Posadas added.

Posadas said that the traditional cure may lead to respiratory illnesses like bronchopneumonia if not checked by doctors.

Health officials listed a total of 103, 488 measles-rubella target population while polio vaccination has a total target population of 121, 486 in La Union and this city.