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Pertussis outbreak now under control, says DOH chief

Philippines | National

Pertussis outbreak now under control, says DOH chief

By Hannah L. Torregoza

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Tuesday, April 2 that pertussis, or whooping cough, is now under control.

“Parang controlled na eh. Parang nag pa-plateau na sya (It’s now under control. It seems it has plateaued) but we’re still colsely monitoring,” Herbosa said in an interview before attending the Senate Committee on Health’s hearing.

“Meron tayong (we have) regional epidemiology surveillance unit na mino-monitor ang mga cases na to (that are monitoring these cases),” he said.

“Luckily meron tayong mga bakuna para dito, so walang dapat ipangamba sa sakit na itong pertussis (we have vaccination for this, so there’s nothing to worry about the pertussis disease),” added the DOH chief.

Herbosa also assured that the government’s vaccination program against pertussis is ongoing.

“So if your child is within that age group, from 0 to 5, their vaccine needs to be scheduled. If they haven’t been vaccinated yet, it’s not too late. They can still get vaccinated,” Herbosa urged parents.

The DOH chief said the vaccination will only be given to asymptomatic people, saying they will defer the jab if a child has a fever or shows any symptoms.

At least three local government units (LGUs) have already declared a pertussis outbreak—Quezon City, Pasig City in Metro Manila and Iloilo City in the Visayas.

A measles outbreak, however, has been declared in the entire Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The DOH earlier announced that it has already brought at least eight (8) million doses to protect the population from pertussis and measles.

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Teodoro Herbosa Pertussis DOH

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