• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Suspected cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in Negros Occidental have increased to 19, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan said Friday.
The age of persons suspected of being infected by the bacteria that causes pertussis is one month to 62 years old, according to Pinongan.
Seven of them are now being treated in hospitals, while others are now undergoing isolation, she added.
Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, resulting in a highly contagious respiratory infection that is transmitted through person-to-person respiratory droplets or contact with airborne droplets.
Symptoms include a persistent cough that lasts for two or more weeks, a mild fever, and a runny nose.
Five samples were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The City Health Office also recorded three suspected cases of pertussis in Bacolod City.
The Department of Health in Western Visayas cited the low immunization coverage in the surge of pertussis cases, which they recorded at 89, as of April 1. | GB
