PERTUSSIS AWARENESS. An information, education, and communication material of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Ilocos Region on pertussis. Pangasinan has already recorded three cases as of April 1, 2024, and the patients have already recovered. (Photo courtesy courtesy of DOH-CHD-1)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Provincial Health Office (PHO) is urging parents to have their children immunized with routinary and booster vaccines after the province recorded three confirmed cases of pertussis as of April 1.
Provincial health officer Dr. Cielo Almoite, in a virtual forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency-Pangasinan on Wednesday, said the three patients have already recovered after their confinement at the Baguio General Hospital.
Almoite said the patients, aged one to six, are from the towns of San Nicolas and Sto.Tomas , and Urdaneta City.
She said none of the close contacts of the patients were infected with pertussis.
“Vaccination is very important since (the) pertussis vaccine is given to children below one year old,” Almoite said in Filipino.
She said children, especially those who are malnourished, are susceptible to pertussis since they have low immune systems.
In an interview on Wednesday, Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Ilocos Region (DOH-CHD-1) medical officer Dr. Rheuel Bobis said they are now investigating how the children were infected with pertussis.
He said DOH-CHD-1 and the health offices in the provinces are also conducting continuous surveillance and epidemiologic investigation, intensifying routinary immunization through provision of vaccine and vaccine-related logistics and information drives on the prevention, detection, and treatment of pertussis.
Bobis said vaccines for measles, rubella, pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases are available for children for free at government hospitals and health centers.
"They (health workers) used to do the routinary vaccination every Wednesday at health centers but do it every day now to accommodate the population," he added.
Pertussis can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, is highly infectious, and has a high mortality since it can cause severe pneumonia especially among children but can be prevented through vaccination.
"(Vaccines are) given in three doses to infants at their six, 10 and 14 weeks old," Bobis said, adding that adults may also avail of booster shots.
Symptoms include coughing with a whooping sound that lasts for more than two weeks, accompanied by vomiting due to excessive and forceful coughing.
Patients need to be treated in a hospital. (PNA)
