Negrenses are urged to voluntary use face masks to avoid catching pertussis, also known as whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said Tuesday, March 26.
Pinongan issued the reminder as a 2-month-old boy suffering from suspected pertussis was admitted at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.
Neighboring Iloilo City has been placed under a state of calamity due to a pertussis outbreak, Pinongan also pointed out.
The Iloilo Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), during its special session Tuesday, approved the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDDRMC) to place the city under a state of calamity, Mayor Gerry Treñas said.
The Iloilo City Health Office (CHO)-Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, as of Tuesday logged 16 cases of pertussis, of which seven are confirmed. These cases are from Molo, Jaro, Arevalo and Lapuz.
“With the state of calamity status, the city government can utilize the calamity fund for the procurement of medicines and vaccines, and for other strengthened measures and responses against the infectious disease,” a statement from the Iloilo City government said.
The public are advised to cover their mouths when they cough, observe proper hygiene, and consult a doctor should there be any symptoms of pertussis, Pinongan said.
The are still waiting for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine test results on whether the 2-month-infant admitted at the CLMMRH is positive for pertussis or not, she said.
The condition of the child, who is from Negros Occidental, has improved, she assured.
Pertussis causes children to have difficulty breathing and can be deadly. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect children against pertussis, Pinongan said.
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
Pertussis spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. The disease is most dangerous in infants, and is a significant cause of disease and death in this age group, it added.
The first symptoms generally appear seven to ten days after infection. They include a mild fever, runny nose and cough, which in typical cases gradually develops into a hacking cough followed by whooping, hence the common name of whooping cough. Pneumonia is a relatively common complication, and seizures and brain disease occur rarely, WHO said.
People with pertussis are most contagious up to about three weeks after the cough begins, and many children who contract the infection have coughing spells that last four to eight weeks. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection, it added.*