ILOILO CITY – This city has declared an outbreak of the contagious respiratory disease pertussis also known as whooping cough.
GRAPHIC via ICDRRMO
The Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) headed by Mayor Jerry Treñas declared an outbreak during a Monday emergency meeting.
This city has logged 15 pertussis cases as of March 25.
Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, assistant department head of the Iloilo City Health Office (ICHO), said that seven cases were confirmed while eight are still suspected.
The CDRRMC passed a resolution recommending to the Iloilo City Council to declare a state of calamity due to whooping cough.
“This is a crucial step to ensure swift action and allocation of resources for vaccination and medicines,” said Treñas in a statement.
Fortuna said not only infants or younger children who are vulnerable to pertussis but also adults and pregnant women in their third trimester.
He emphasized the need for vaccination to stop the spread of pertussis.
Staff of the molecular laboratory of the city government will undergo training to enable them to directly test for pertussis and do not have to send specimens to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.