A 1-month-old baby boy who tested positive for pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in Negros Occidental has died, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Provincial Health Officer, confirmed on Monday, April 15.
Eleven babies have tested positive for pertussis in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City but there is no need to declare an outbreak yet, health officials said.
The child, who is the first pertussis fatality in Negros Occidental this year, passed away last week at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City, Pinongan said.
Pinongan said of the 36 suspected pertussis cases detected in Negros Occidental, five tested positive, five negative and the rest are awaiting test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The ages of those affected range from 1 month to 62 years old, although the majority are babies, Pinongan said.
She said there is no need to declare a pertussis outbreak in Negros Occidental as the cases are not that many and the situation is manageable.
The provincial government is buying 10,000 doses of pentavalent vaccines to protect children from pertussis, she said.
Children should avoid going to crowded places and are advised to wear masks if they must go out, Pinongan said.
In Bacolod City the confirmed pertussis cases are six with two from barangay Tangub and one each from barangays Granada, Handumanan, Taculing and Villamonte, Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli, Bacolod City health officer, said.
All six have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, she said.
Five others tested negative for pertussis and the test results of two suspected cases are being awaited in Bacolod City.
Gensoli said there is no need to declare a pertussis outbreak in Bacolod City since there is no clustering of cases.
Bacolod is also set to purchase 10,000 doses of pentavalent vaccines with an allocation of P15 million to curb cases of pertussis, Gensoli said.
The total doses could cover about 3,300.
Pentavalent vaccines protect against pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, and hemophilus influenza type B.
Health officials stressed the need for vaccination against pertussis, which is being stepped up among babies.
Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes severe, uncontrollable coughing fits that can leave the individual “whooping” for deep breaths afterwards. It affects people of all ages, but is especially dangerous and even fatal for young children and infants, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
It is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. It is easily transmitted from person to person through infectious droplets produced from coughing or sneezing. People become infected by inhaling these droplets, or touching surfaces with infected droplets and subsequently touching their eyes, nose, or mouth, the DOH said.
Antibiotics are recommended for treatment and can actually shorten the duration of the disease, as well as the time that an individual can infect other people. That is why it is very important to see a doctor once an individual develops a cough that keeps worsening or does not go away, it said.
Pertussis is preventable through vaccination, the DOH added.*