QC declares pertussis outbreak

THE Quezon City government has declared a pertussis outbreak following the deaths of four infants.

The city’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Division said pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium bordetella pertussis. It is characterized by a cough persisting for two or more weeks, a mild fever and a runny nose.

Pertussis is most contagious up to three weeks after the manifestation of coughing and other symptoms.

“There is no need to panic. We are making this announcement to make everyone more prepared and remain vigilant. We are on top of the situation, and we will do whatever it takes to curb the spread of this disease,” Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte said on Thursday.

“We are mobilizing our own resources towards procuring the needed vaccines to keep our children safe, until such time as the supply from the Department of Health (DoH) arrives,” she added.

Records said that from January to March 20, 2024, 23 cases were reported, including four pertussis-related deaths of infants aging from 22 days old to 60 days old.

City health officers would administer prophylactic drugs to identified probable cases and implement isolation and treatment of patients.

The DoH urged the public to get vaccinated against pertussis.

Data showed that there were 453 reported cases of pertussis for the first 10 weeks of 2024, which is 1,869.57 percent higher than the 23 cases reported during the same period in 2023.

It was comparably more than the 52 cases recorded in 2019, 27 in 2020, seven in 2021 and two in 2022.

The DoH attributed the rise in pertussis cases to disruptions in routine immunization at primary care during the Covid-19 pandemic.