• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) logged 14 confirmed cases of pertussis or whooping cough in Negros Occidental as of May 6.
Of the total reported cases, 33 others turned out to be negative while 17 are probable cases.
Negros Occidental also recorded a single pertussis-related death.
The PHO earlier advised parents to have their children vaccinated against pertussis to prevent infection of the highly-contagious respiratory disease.
Infants at least six weeks or one and a half months old can already avail of pentavalent vaccines for free for protection against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) as well as hepatitis B and hemophilus influenza type B.
Confirmed pertussis cases in Bacolod City have also risen to nine as of May 2, of which eight patients have already recovered while one remains hospitalized. | GB
