The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) continued to report the most number of measles-rubella cases in the country, with 1,481 cases as of 16 March.

This is more than half of the 2,661 total cases in the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

On 22 March, BARMM’s Ministry of Health (MOH) declared a measles outbreak in the region.

It said most infected people were unvaccinated, prompting the BARMM government to initiate a vaccination drive.

Intensive and simultaneous vaccination in all barangays of BARMM will start from 1 to 12 April.

The DOH said MOH plans to continue vaccination even after this period in a push for maximum coverage needed to protect Bangsamoro children.

"In this holiest of months for both Muslims and Christians, the DOH joins our sisters and brothers in MOH BARMM to protect Filipino children,” said DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

“We are ready as one country to fight Measles, dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Buhay ay Mahalaga (because in the new Philippines, every life is important)," Herbosa added.

Meanwhile, the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) reported performing over 1,000 confirmatory tests for measles and rubella.