• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) is targeting 20,000 more children under five years old for vaccination against pertussis.
Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, provincial health officer, said on Friday (May 10) that some towns and cities in Negros Occidental still have no available vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT).
Pinongan said the Department of Health in Region 6 has yet to deliver the vaccines resulting in the low DPT vaccination rate in the province.
A catch-up vaccination will be conducted once the 10,000 vials of vaccines bought by the provincial government will arrive, Pinongan said.
PHO data indicated that majority of the children infected with pertussis have not undergone DPT vaccination.
Of the 54,000 children in Negros Occidental aged 0 to 59 months, about 30,000 have already been vaccinated with DPT.
Negros Occidental has recorded 74 pertussis-related cases, of which 14 are confirmed positive, with one death.
A total of 40 cases were negative while 20 are probable cases.
In Bacolod City, the City Health Office recorded nine positive cases of pertussis, known also as whooping cough. | GB
