DOSE OF PREVENTION. The pentavalent vaccine, shown by a health center worker in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City on March 22, 2024, protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza type B and hepatitis B. Laguna province has registered a total of 55 cases of pertussis since Jan. 1, 2024. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)
SANTA CRUZ, Laguna – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) here advised parents to have their children vaccinated against pertussis, as it reported that the province has recorded a total of 55 pertussis cases from Jan. 1 to April 6.
In an online post on Wednesday, the PHO’s Public Health Services Department also reported that there have been four deaths linked to pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” over the 14-week period since tracking of the contagious disease began.
The 55 cases are divided into two groups –the “clinical cases” and the “confirmed cases,” according to the Laguna’s pertussis tracker.
In simple terms, clinical cases are patients who display all the classic symptoms of pertussis but their infections were not confirmed through laboratory tests.
On the other hand, confirmed cases are those whose infections were validated via pertussis culture (accepted as the gold standard) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
Of the four pertussis fatalities in Laguna, two were residents of San Pedro City, one was from Santa Rosa City, and one was from Paete town, the PHO’s report further revealed.
The PHO cautioned parents against allowing their children, especially infants, to come into close contact with individuals showing signs of respiratory infection.
Last week, Santa Rosa was placed under a state of calamity following the discovery of 15 pertussis cases in the city. (PNA)
