The Department of Health (DOH) said it has vaccinated over one million children in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) against measles-rubella.

As of 1 May, the DOH has inoculated a total of 1,777,299 children aged six months to below 10 years old with measles-rubella vaccine for the Measles Outbreak Response Immunization (MORI).

The DOH is targeting to vaccinate 1.3 million children in the region against measles-rubella.

This is following the alarming surge in measles cases with 77 percent of cases in the Philippines being reported in BARMM.

The country has logged 1,817 cases of measles from 1 January to 13 April, which is five times higher compared to those reported in the same period last year, according to DOH.