By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Stressing the importance of vaccination to combat pertussis, safe and effective, the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday (08 April 2024) admitted that there may be a shortage of vaccines against the “whooping cough” or pertussis next month.
This was revealed on Monday by DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa amid the highly contagious respiratory infection outbreak in some parts of the country.
Herbosa admitted that currently, the country still has “enough” supply of the pentavalent vaccine which gives protection against pertussis, as well as diphtheria, tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B.
“We have enough, but magkakaroon tayo ng shortage some time in May. Ito ‘yung ina-address naming gap,” Herbosa lamented in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview.
He disclosed that the 5-in-1 vaccine that the DOH initially ordered will only arrive in June as the country’s stock will get depleted in May.
The DOH chief added that he may need to order an older type of vaccine called DPT, which could only fight off diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares confirmed that 10 out of 16 barangays in the city have reported cases of Pertussis, with nine confirmed cases and 10 suspected cases.
“The basis of the Department of Health (DOH) in determining whether a barangay has a case is even if it’s not yet confirmed, as long as there are suspects with symptoms, not yet confirmed in the laboratory… Once there are symptoms suspected to be Pertussis, that’s already considered a case by the DOH,” Ynares explained in a radio interview on Friday (April 5, 2024).
The mayor advised adults experiencing coughs and colds to avoid contact with children or wear face masks, as some of these children acquired the illness from their parents.
The Antipolo City local government and DOH have been collaborating on immunizing babies; however, Ynares mentioned that vaccines against Pertussis are currently insufficient.
Meanwhile, the local chief executive stated that the LGU has procured vaccines against Pertussis for its constituents.
Earlier, the DOH recorded 862 cases of Pertussis nationwide, with 79 percent of these cases involving children under five years old.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 862 cases of pertussis and 49 deaths from January 1 to March 24, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Earlier, some cities declared a pertussis outbreak due to the increasing number of cases in their area.
Tayag mentioned that DOH’s pentavalent vaccines, used to prevent the disease, are not sufficient to accommodate all children.
“Pertussis is known to rapidly infect babies. Fortunately, we have protection against pertussis through the pentavalent 5-in-1 vaccine administered starting at 6 weeks of age. However, the vaccine supply is running low,” Tayag stated in an interview with Unang Balita.
Meanwhile, the Health official stated that the pertussis situation is “not under control” as the number of cases continues to rise.
“We cannot say it’s under control because the cases are still increasing. However, many of us can take precautions to protect our babies,” Tayag added.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Adhering to the age-old dictum that “prevention is better than cure,” some three million vaccine doses against the highly contagious pertussis infection are arriving in the country soon.
This was disclosed by the Department of Health (DOH) as some areas in Metro Manila as well as in Iloilo City are seeing a rise in pertussis cases, with 453 cases of pertussis recorded in the first 10 weeks of the year and 35 persons so far have succumbed to the virus.
On Monday (25 March 2024), the DOH said that the country is already distributing some 64,400 pentavalent shots to children to fight the resurgence of pertussis, which is spread through respiratory droplets and could be life-threatening.
It was learned that the incoming vaccines, called pentavalent shots, also protect against other vaccine-preventable illnesses such as diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Hemophilus influenza type B.
Dr. Tony Leachon, a former government health adviser, has urged individuals in areas with high pertussis cases to wear face masks to stamp out the transmission.
DOH guidelines also suggest voluntary use of face coverings but it is “highly encouraged.”
(el Amigo/MNM)
Former health secretary and House Deputy Majority Leader Janette advised the public on Friday to take extra precautions, observe proper hygiene, and get vaccinated following the Pertussis outbreak in Quezon City which claimed the lives of four infants.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte announced that the city has been experiencing a Pertussis outbreak, a contagious respiratory disease, and has recorded 23 cases as of March 20.
Garin noted that among the reasons for the rise of these cases was the recent decline in vaccine uptake due to widespread misinformation that makes an individual hesitant to be immunized.
“This is alarming but we can prevent the spread of this disease through vaccination and observing proper hygiene,” Garin said.
“One of its causes is the recent decline in vaccine uptake brought about by fake news and infodemic has also affected the uptake of DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus). Vaccination saves lives hence we need to catch up,” the lawmaker pointed out.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella that spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing which is most dangerous in infants.
Symptoms include a mild fever, runny nose, and cough, which in typical cases gradually develops into a hacking cough followed by whooping, WHO said.
The Department of Health (DOH) has urged the public to have immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases as cases of measles and pertussis continue to increase.
In the first 10 weeks of 2024, the DOH logged 453 cases of Pertussis which was a lot higher than in 2023 with only 23 cases in the same period.
“Nakakahawa po ito lalo na sa mga bata o sanggol. Dahil mga bata iyan, hindi nila alam kung saan sila pwedeng mahawa kaya malaki ang responsibilidad ng mga magulang dito para maprotektahan ang kanilang anak sa sakit na ito,” the Iloilo First District Representative ended. (END)