Three babies in Bacolod City have tested positive for pertussis, or whooping cough, as of Morbidity Week 13, March 30, Dr. Grace Tan, head of the City Health Office (CHO) Environmental Sanitation Division, said Wednesday, April 10.
Tan said that 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 and one was negative.
She said the confirmed pertussis cases, aged one to three months old, were residing at Barangays Taculing, Tangub, and Villamonte.
Of the three positive cases, one of the patients was still admitted to a hospital while the other two patients were already discharged from the hospital.
Tan noted that the completion of pertussis vaccination is strongly encouraged in children under two years old.
She said they are now conducting mapping and catch-up immunization for the unimmunized and incompletely immunized 0-23-month-old children.
She said the close contacts of confirmed cases were traced for antibiotics prophylaxis.
She added that they have now a collaboration with the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and infectious disease consultants for joint guidelines, advisory, and management of pertussis in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Tan disclosed that pertussis is a very contagious respiratory illness caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.*