Philippines hit by deadly measles outbreak.

A growing measles outbreak in the Philippines killed at least 25 people last month, officials said Thursday, putting some of the blame on mistrust stoked by a scare over an anti-dengue fever vaccine.Most of the dead are children and the tollisexpected to rise as more cases are confirmed of the highly contagious disease, which has made a worldwide resurgence in recent years.

Figures from the Philippines' national health authorities showcases jumped from 791 in 2017 to 5,120 last year. There were 1,813 confirmed cases in January alone.

The most recent numbers available show measles killed 30 in the first eight months of last year, and five in all of 2017.Authorities said vaccination rates in the Philippines have been declining for years but also pointed to the recent controversy over the safety of theDengvaxiadengue vaccine.The measles vaccination coverage has been in decline in the last five years," health undersecretary Eric Domingo told a press conference Thursday.

In the recent years, it was the issue ofDengvaxiavaccine that contributed," he added, as the government pushed parents to get children vaccinated.The scare...