Three more children in Bacolod City have tested positive for pertussis, or whooping cough, as of Morbidity Week 14, April 6, City Health Officer Ma. Carmela Gensoli said Monday, April 15.
Based on the result of the sample specimens of the patients sent to the Department of Health (DOH)-Western Visayas, three patients have tested positive for pertussis while four were negative, she said.
She said the three confirmed pertussis patients, aged one month to one-year old, were already discharged from the hospitals in Bacolod.
She added the patients, all boys, include one in Barangay Granada, Barangays Handumanan, Taculing and Villamonte with one case each, and two cases in Barangay Tangub.
“So far, it’s not alarming and it’s not the right time to declare an outbreak, we have plans and programs to address these cases,” Gensoli said.
She said the three new positive cases were also given a pertussis vaccine.
She added the close contacts of confirmed cases were traced for antibiotics prophylaxis.
On March 30, three babies were also tested positive for pertussis and all of them have already recovered.
Gensoli said they still have two more probable pertussis cases and they are still waiting for the result of the sample specimens sent to the DOH-Western Visayas.
Dr. Jevi Marie Ortono, Medical Officer III, National Immunization Program medical coordinator, said the most common transmission of pertussis is through contact with respiratory droplets, or by contact with airborne droplets.
“We can’t declare an outbreak of pertussis because we have a small number of probable cases reported and those who tested positive were living in different barangays,” she said.
She added the city can only declare an outbreak if they have a big number of probable cases of pertussis with a high number of positive confirmed cases.
Ortono noted that it’s their target to immunize 95 percent of children every year in Bacolod City, and this year, it’s their target to immunize at least 10,500 children.
She said in 2023, their target population was 11,000 children and of the number, 40 percent were fully immunized or had completed the vaccination by one-year-old and 29 days.
She said that some parents refused not to vaccinate their children because of their religious beliefs.
Ortono disclosed that the barangay health workers were also tasked to conduct a mapping and catch-up immunization for the unimmunized and incomplete immunized 0-23-month-old children.
Moreover, Gensoli said that they have enough vaccines to address the pertussis cases in the city and in succeeding months, the city will acquire additional vaccines for children.
She said they also asked Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez for the purchase of 10,000 doses of PentaHib vaccine with an estimated P15 million funds.
To prevent the spread of pertussis cases, Gensoli urged the parents, who are coughing, to always wear a face mask and avail the vaccine for their children.
She also encouraged the parents to avoid bringing their babies in public places including in malls to prevent the transmission of pertussis.*