BY JOVEN TUNGALA
The Department of Health on Tuesday reported a concerning surge in pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, with the number of cases surpassing 1,000 in the last three months.
According to the DOH, data from January 1 to March 30, 2024, show a total of 1,112 cases since the start of the year with 54 deaths recorded.
The number of cases recorded over the past three months was almost 34 times that of the same period last year, at only 32 cases.
er the past six weeks, the following regions showed a continuous increase in the number of cases: Eastern Visayas, Cagayan Valley, CARAGA, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Autonomous Region.
Of the total Pertussis cases thus far recorded, 77% were less than 5 years old. Adults aged 20 and older account for only around 4% of cases.
The DOH said the number of cases may still change as there may be late consultations and reports.
“Furthermore, the effects of increasing immunization efforts to stem the outbreak may not be seen in the data until 4-6 weeks after they are started,” it said.
For his part, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the government had anticipated a shortage in pentavalent vaccine supply by May, and efforts are now being made to address this gap.
“We will have another type of vaccine, the DTP – Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. Also, there are pentavalent and TDaP vaccines available for purchase in the private sector; there is no physical shortage,” Herbosa said.
“We will welcome any offers of support and assistance from our private sector partners,” he added.
The DOH previously said that the national government pentavalent (“5-in-1”) vaccine stocks – reported at 64,400 doses last March 25 – are running low.
Herbosa ordered that other options such as Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) shall be used to prevent gaps while waiting for the new batch of 3 million pentavalent vaccines.
Meanwhile, the Philippine market continues to have stocks of pentavalent and TDaP vaccines in the private sector.
