DOH confirms 862 pertussis cases, 49 deaths nationwide

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 862 pertussis cases nationwide as of March 23, resulting in 49 deaths.

This is 30 times higher than cases in the same period last year, with Western Visayas recording 89 cases from January 1 to April 1.

Of the 89 cases in Western Visayas, 22 were confirmed, 46 probable, and 21 negative, with five deaths all occurring in Iloilo province.

Iloilo province logged the highest number of cases with 48, while Iloilo City had 17 cases and declared an outbreak.

The DOH-6 regional director attributed the increase in cases to low immunization coverage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alarmingly, 79 percent of the nationwide pertussis cases involve children under five years old, with 66% of these young children being unvaccinated or lacking vaccination history.

Adults aged 20 and older represent only four percent of the reported cases nationwide.

The DOH stated that the situation is not yet considered under control as cases continue to increase and is awaiting vaccine procurement from UNICEF to replenish the almost exhausted vaccine supply.