Cavite City debunks fake news of 2-day lockdown due to pertussis

In a case of fake news, the Cavite City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) denied there was a confirmed case of pertussis or whooping cough in Cavite City, according to a report shared by Rodil Vega on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.

In an announcement on social media, CESU Head ZJeffrey dela Rosa also urged the public to be wary of false information, especially from unverified sources in online platforms.

“Inaanyayahan namin ang lahat ng magbasa at kumuha lamang ng mga tamang impormasyon sa mga lehitimong FB pages, partikular na sa CESU Cavite City FB page para sa tama at wastong mga impormasyon lalo na sa mga sakit pandemya, outbreak, clustering at iba pa,” dela Rosa shared.

(We invite everyone to only get information from legitimate Facebook pages, particularly from the CESU Cavite City Facebook page for true and correct information, especially for pandemic illnesses, outbreak, clustering and others.)

The announcement was issued after it was erroneously reported online that there was a “temporary lockdown due to pertussis cough” in Tagaytay, Tanza, General Trias, Carmona and Cavite City on March 30 to 31.

“Face masks are required on (sic) all public places!”, the fake post read.

The fake post, which had the seal of the Department of Health and the provincial government of Cavite, claimed there were several cases in the aforementioned cities.

CESU added violators of Republic Act 11332 or the Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases, face a fine of P20,000 to 50,000 and /or imprisonment of up to six months.

The Province of Cavite declared a state of calamity on March 28 due to the rising cases of pertussis or whooping cough.

Twenty-eight additional pertussis or whooping cough cases were recorded in the country from March 10 to 16, bringing the total number this year to 568, the Department of Health (DOH) said on March 27. —RF, GMA Integrated News