THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday gave assurance that response to the pertussis outbreak in the country is underway.
At the same time, the DOH confirmed that all 54 recorded deaths from pertussis in the Philippines between January and March were children less than five years old.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office in the Western Pacific confirmed last April 5 that measles and pertussis are concerns of many countries, because the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns hampered routine vaccination.
For its part, the Quezon City government procured some P13 million worth of vaccines and antibiotics for the treatment of pertussis, Mayor Joy Belmonte announced on Tuesday. She said the city government purchased more than 3,500 vials of 6-in-1 vaccine, 1,012 bottles of Azithromycin, and 1,000 bottles of Clarithromycin.
Health Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Albert Domingo said data from January 1 to March 30 revealed a total of 1,112 pertussis cases this year so far, with a majority or 77 percent of the cases being children aged below five.
Adults aged 20 and above account for only about four percent of the cases.
Eastern Visayas, Cagayan Valley, CARAGA, Central Luzon, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region showed continuing increase in cases over the past six weeks.
The DOH was cautious, however, in interpreting trend.
The DOH said the number of cases may still change due to late consultations and reports. Additionally, the effects of increasing immunization efforts might not reflect in the data until four to six weeks later.
The department has since assured the public that outbreak response immunization is underway, with the government replenishing vaccines while private stocks of pentavalent and TDaP vaccines are available.
The government disclosed however, that pentavalent (“5-in-1”) vaccine stocks are running low at a reported 64,400 doses as of March 25,
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has since ordered that other options like Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) be used to prevent gaps ahead of the new batch of three million pentavalent vaccines.
“We anticipate a shortage in government pentavalent vaccine supply by May, and this is the gap we are now addressing… We will welcome any offers of support and assistance from our private sector partners,” Herbosa said.
The vaccines will be given to children six weeks old and up who have yet to receive a vaccine for pertussis.