ILOILO CITY – This city has recorded its first pertussis or whooping cough fatality.

Citing the Department of Health (DOH), Mayor Jerry Treñas said the victim was a one-month-old baby.
The Iloilo City Health Office said the city has 30 pertussis cases as of April 12.
Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, assistant Iloilo City Health Office department head, said pertussis patients were mostly infants.
Fortuna said that infants and toddlers are most susceptible to pertussis and have to be vaccinated.
The city government declared a state of calamity late last month following a pertussis outbreak.
Meanwhile, the DOH is sending 6,000 doses of pertussis vaccines here on Monday, April 15.
“Our city health doctors and nurses will immediately make sure to ramp-up the vaccination of infants right away using these vaccines. Thank you to the immediate response of the DOH,” said Treñas.