“We could have protected the children if our herd immunity were high, but our vaccination coverage is only 70 percent of the population, which falls short of the 95 percent target required for herd immunity,” she explained, stressing that herd immunity against pertussis would protect the whole community and not just those who are immune.
Meanwhile, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. suggested incentivizing routine immunization as a strategy to encourage more parents given that vaccine hesitancy among parents is one of the reasons for the low vaccination rate in Iloilo.
He also stressed the importance of closely monitoring the capacity of rural health units (RHUs) and the continuity of the immunization program, citing that the province can source funds from its local disaster risk reduction and management to buy more vaccines, including those for pregnant women.
Defensor, however, noted that the situation in the province, in terms of the need for the implementation of mandatory minimum health standards, is unlikely to be similar during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He furthered that the declaration of an outbreak would be at the municipal level, citing that protocols for outbreak declaration include clustering of cases in the barangays.
The IPHO is currently closely watching the town of Santa Barbara for a possible municipal-wide Pertussis outbreak as it has already recorded a clustering of cases in its three barangays.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH)-6 as of April 1 indicated that Iloilo has 48 reported Pertussis cases, with 12 being laboratory confirmed, 20 labeled as probable, and 16 being negative, while deaths are already at five. (AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo)
