LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – The province of Albay has recorded five suspected cases of pertussis or whooping cough.
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) confirmed on Wednesday, April 3, these cases which were recorded here and Tabaco City.
"Sa ngayon wala pang confimatory kung positive to pertussis ‘yung patients. Nakitaan po sila ng symptoms ng pertussis," Jan Edmund Dominic "Jed" Bailon, Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit coordinator of the PHO, said.
(There is no confirmatory test yet if these are pertussis cases but symptoms have been seen in patients)
Specimens have been taken from these patients and were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City for confirmatory tests.
Results are expected in five days.
"Mga four to five days pa bago ilabas ‘yung result ng swab test so para sigurado, Lunes na namin malalaman kung positive nga," he said.
(It will take four to five days for the swab test result to come out and we will know if these turn out positive on Monday)
Bailon said that patients were two twins who are two-months-old, one five-years-old, and one nine-years-old.
He added that two patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), two were isolated in their residence, and the fifth is at the Ziga Memorial District Hospital in Tabaco City and awaiting discharge.
Bailon said they have conducted contact tracing and their close contacts have been provided medicines.
He said they are also awaiting pertussis vaccines from the government.
"Sa ngayon, naghihintay din kami ng bakuna mula sa Department of Health kasi kulang pa rin kami ng bakuna," Bailon said.
(We don’t have enough pertussis vaccines and awaiting supply from the Department of Health)