BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - With Pertussis or whooping cough a growing health concern in the country, the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CRDRRMC) encourages all stakeholders, the council’s response cluster and key – member agencies, and all local DRRM councils in the region to support the Department of Health primarily on risk communication and  information,education campaign, implementation of prevention and mitigation controls, and in bio -surveillance and monitoring.
 
Office of Civil Defense Regional Director and CRDRRMC Chairperson Albert Mogol issued the advisory during the Pre – Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) virtual meeting on Pertussis on March 27.
 
“We have so many experiences during the COVID - 19 pandemic, and we don’t want a regional, city or province level outbreak on this pertussis. Be reminded that the compendium of our lessons learned, strategies, and tactics are enshrined in our cordillera regional disaster response plan for pandemics and other emerging /re-emerging infectious diseases which we adopted in 2020”, Mogol stressed.

Mogol   highlighted the importance of heightened community awareness, as well as proper case management and referral system for  this respiratory disease. 
 
The DOH Cordillera Regional office reported a  total of 32 suspected Pertussis cases recorded in the region from January 1 to March 23, of which 5 are laboratory- confirmed.
 
Of the five confirmed cases, four are from Baguio City, and one  from Benguet. They are one to four -month old babies. Four of them are vaccinated, while the one month old is not yet eligible for vaccination.

 DOH – CAR recorded 19 suspected pertussis case with no laboratory confirmed cases in 2023.

The DOH said Pertussis is treatable, and can be prevented through the pentavalent vaccine that is being given in three doses (to babies at one and one-half, 2 and one half and 3 and one half years old). The vaccine is given free in government health facilities or in LGU health centers.
 
Pertussis is highly transmissible from infected person to others, but can also be prevented by good respiratory hygiene, such as covering month when coughing or  sneezing with disposable tissues/wipes, or the elbow or the upper arm, regular handwashing, and use of alcohol, if soap is not regularly available, the DOH also reminded.

At the national level, DOH data shows a total of 568 Pertussis cases from January 1 to March 16 of this year, and wiith 40 deaths. The number of cases this year drastically rose more compared to the 26 cases recorded during the same period last year. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)