BY JEN BAYLON & MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental and the city government of Bacolod have issued a joint public advisory following the confirmation of five cases of pertussis or whooping cough.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez urged the public to be aware of the increasing number of confirmed pertussis and suspected cases in the province and the city.
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) bared that as of Tuesday, April 9, the province had two confirmed and 23 suspected cases.
In this capital city, the City Health Office (CHO) said three barangays – Taculing, Tangub and Villamonte – recorded one case each aged one to three months old.
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium bordetella pertussis. It spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.
The joint advisory also urged parents to bring their infants to health centers for free vaccinations and for unvaccinated general public, catch-up immunization and booster doses are highly recommended.
Pertussis is most dangerous in infants and is a significant cause of disease and death in this age group.
Healthcare facilities were likewise encouraged to closely coordinate with the PHO and Bacolod CHO for proper information dissemination, outbreak response vaccination, and surveillance./PN
