The number of cases of pertussis or whooping cough will not increase due to Holy Week, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday, March 31.
Interviewed on DZRH Stories: Pinoy Documentaries, DOH spokesperson Eric Tayag attributes the non-spike of cases to their information drive which raises awareness about pertussis among Filipinos.
"Hindi namin inaasahan [ang spike ng pertussis cases] sapagkat nauna na yung pagbigay namin ng babala at marami na nakakaalam sa sakit na iyan. Dati-rati kasi halos hindi mai-report 'yan. Ngayon marami na ang nakakaalam diyan sa tusperina at inaasahan namin na makakapag-ingat ang marami at hindi na tataas pa," he said.
Usec. Eric Tayag, DOH, sa assessment sa nagdaang #SemanaSanta2024: Medyo tumaas yata ang bilang ng mga naaksidente sa daan. Sana ang mga pabalik ay mag-ingat sa daan.#DZRHStories#SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) March 31, 2024
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The country has logged a total of 568 pertussis cases from January 1 to March 16, according to Tayag. Most of which were recorded in the National Capital Region.
Forty pertussis patients, Tayag said, passed away.
The health department is intensifying its efforts to administer vaccines against pertussis.
As per the DOH spokesperson, eight million vaccines against pertussis will be arriving soon in the Philippines, and these are free of charge for the public.
Three pertussis vaccine doses are recommended per individual, at one-month intervals for every injection.
The local governments of Quezon City and Iloilo City have declared a pertussis outbreak, while Cavite City is now under a state of calamity due to the contagious respiratory disease.
