CONTINUOUS MONITORING. Jan Edmund Dominic Bailon, chief of Albay-Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU), says Friday (April 12, 2024) there are six whooping cough cases in the province. The Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Bicol said it is continuously monitoring cases in the region and providing prophylaxis for the close contacts. (Photo by Connie Calipay)
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Bicol (DOH-CHD-5) said Friday it is continuously monitoring pertussis cases in the region and providing prophylaxis for the close contacts.
The health office reported 21 cases of pertussis or whooping cough from Jan. 1 to April 7 this year, of which six were laboratory-confirmed and 15 were clinical cases.
Based on the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU), the recorded cases are from Albay -six; Camarines Sur -nine; Masbate -one; and Sorsogon -five. The provinces of Camarines Norte and Canduanes recorded zero cases.
In an interview on Friday, Jan Edmund Dominic Bailon, chief of Albay-Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU), said the six cases in Albay are children and now on recovery stage.
“Mostly, the laboratory-confirmed cases are now in (the) recovering stage while two of them are for discharge already. The six cases in Albay are 2 months old –three; 9 years old –one; 5 years old –one and 5 months old –one,” Bailon said.
He said clinical cases are patients whose symptoms are within the case definitions while laboratory-confirmed cases are those with confirmatory results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Bailon advised the public to report possible cases and to seek treatment at the nearest rural health units and hospitals.
An advisory from DOH-Bicol said the disease spreads through droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person. Symptoms include cold, fever and cough that lasts for one to two weeks.
“This whooping cough can be followed by vomiting, blacking out or the patient turning blue due to difficulty breathing. When you feel any of the symptoms of pertussis, immediately consult the nearest health center to prevent and provide appropriate medical attention,” it added. (PNA)
