THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH XI) confirmed 31 pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the Davao Region since the start of 2023.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Sept. 4, DOH XI medical officer Dr. Janis V. Olavidez revealed that 25 kids out of the 31 cases did not have a vaccination history while the remaining six failed to complete the required doses.
Olavidez said the age bracket of the patients is from infant to five years old.
“Ang prevention nato is really the vaccines, maong paningkamotan nato nga dapat kompletohon jud ang tulo ka doses sa pentavalent vaccine (Our prevention is really the vaccines, so let’s try to complete the three doses of the pentavalent vaccine),” Olavidez said.
The pentavalent vaccine protects against pertussis, diphtheria, hib, tetanus, and Hepatitis B.
The first shot of the pentavalent vaccine is given to infants 1 and ½ months old, the second shot is at 2 and ½ months old, and the third shot is given to them in the third month.
Out of 31, only four cases turned out to be positive for the disease and 19 cases are coming from the city.
“Last week pa lang nagsugod na og lihok ang atong city health kay para matuldokan na ang pagsakay sa kaso diri mismo sa tong mga barangay sa Davao City (Just last week, our city health has started to take actions to stop the increase of the cases especially in the barangays in Davao City),” Olavidez said.
Apart from the children who are positive or suspected to be pertussis-infected, the family members are also being investigated for symptoms.
“Paningkamot jud nato [ma detect] kay paspas sya mo transmit; ubo ug bahing pwede na matakdan ( We are trying our best to detect it early as it transmits fast even through cough and sneeze,” she said.
Olavidez said that the response of DOH is strategized similarly to the COVID-19 response, Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) Strategy. Aside from prevention and isolation, DOH also provides medication, she added.
Symptoms of pertussis include fever (lasting for two weeks), apnea (pauses in breathing), and cyanosis (turning blue or purple) in babies and children.
