DOH sees pertussis cases 'plateauing'

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said the pertussis or whooping cough outbreak appeared to be under control, with the number of cases of the disease plateauing.

"Parang controlled na siya. Parang nagpa-plateau siya, but we’re closely monitoring. Meron tayong Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit na mino-monitor 'yung cases na ito. So, luckily, meron tayong bakuna para dito. So very important, walang dapat ikatakot dito sa sakit na pertussis," Herbosa told reporters in an ambush interview.

Herbosa did not disclose any data on the number of pertussis cases.

However, the Health Secretary said the vaccination program for the respiratory disease, which was common among children, would continue.

He reiterated his call for parents to have their children, aged zero to five, immunized with Pentavalent vaccines.

Children who will get vaccinated should be asymptomatic, he added.

"Usually, walang symptoms. Dine-defer namin 'yung vaccination kung may lagnat 'yung bata or may ibang sintomas," explained Herbosa.

Pertussis may be transmitted when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It also causes influenza-like symptoms like mild fever, colds, and coughs seven to 10 days after exposure.

Children with pertussis may also experience apnea or the stopping and restarting of breathing while asleep, difficulty breathing, and vomiting.

The Department of Health earlier announced that it had ordered 800,000 to 1 million doses of vaccines against pertussis, which would arrive in the country by June.

Herbosa said the Serum Institute of India would need around 120 days to formulate the vaccines against pertussis.

Last week, the DOH reported 28 new pertussis cases in the country from March 10 to 16, bringing the total number this year to 568,

The DOH said that the 568 pertussis cases logged from January 1 to March 16, 2024, were more than 20 times higher than the 26 recorded cases during the same period last year.

Forty deaths due to the highly contagious respiratory infection have also been reported so far.

The National Capital Region (NCR) alone accounted for 27% (58 cases) of the total confirmed cases among all regions.

Aside from the NCR, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Mimaropa, and Central Visayas had the most number of local government units which showed case increases. — DVM, GMA Integrated News