Officials alarmed as Negros Occidental, Bacolod see more suspected pertussis cases

BACOLOD, Philippines – The governor of Negros Occidental and the mayor of Bacolod sounded alarm bells on Tuesday, April 9, as the number of suspected pertussis infections surged in the province and city.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez released a joint public advisory, urging the public to take precautions and follow basic health protocols.

Lacson said Negros Occidental logged one confirmed case of pertussis involving a two-month-old infant, while provincial health officer Dr. Gerlie Pinongan said 11 more were being monitored for showing signs of the deadly respiratory disease.

Pinongan said four of those feared to have pertussis were admitted to a hospital, while the others were placed under isolation.

She said specimens were taken from them and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for laboratory confirmation.

In Bacolod, the City Health Office-Environmental Sanitation Division logged three suspected pertussis cases.

The office’s head, Dr. Grace Tan, said all were under close monitoring in a health facility.

Health authorities said pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a respiratory disease transmitted from one person to another through coughing or sneezing. Early symptoms include runny or stuffy nose, occasional coughing, and low-grade fever.

In their joint advisory, Lacson and Benitez said the number of people with pertussis symptoms in the province and city has reached alarming levels, prompting them to appeal to Negrenses and Bacoleños to take necessary precautionary measures to avoid being infected by the contagious respiratory illness caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria.

The governor and mayor also asked health facilities, especially hospitals, to set up fast lanes for patients with respiratory or influenza-like illnesses.

The local chief executives called on parents and guardians to bring their children, particularly six-week-old to 14-week-old infants, to the nearest health centers and avail of free primary vaccinations.

Catch-up immunization and booster doses for those beyond the ages set by the National Immunization Program (NIP) are now available either at the provincial or city health offices, they said.

They also urged all health facilities in Negros Occidental and Bacolod to closely coordinate with the provincial and city health offices, and step up an information dissemination campaign and outbreak response vaccination and surveillance.

In the Western Visayas region, Iloilo City has already been declared under a state of calamity on March 26 due to a pertussis outbreak.

Based on health experts’ recommendations, Lacson and Benitez urge their constituents to do the following:

• Observe proper cough etiquette
• Maintain physical distancing of at least three feet apart when possible
• Engage in frequent and proper handwashing
• Use medical masks in enclosed or crowded spaces
• Ensure primary vaccinations are up to date or receive a pertussis vaccine if required
• Refrain from taking infants and unvaccinated children to public spaces
• Prevent children showing symptoms of pertussis from attending school
• Undergo antibiotic prophylaxis if exposed and deemed necessary 

– Rappler.com