Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday said there is an outbreak of pertussis or "whooping cough" that already claimed four lives of mostly 22- day old to 60-day-old babies in the first three months of this year in the city.
In an immediately called press conference, Belmonte said the announcement is not to sow panic but to prepare residents and avail the goverment's immunization program of having their babies vaccinated with 'pentavalent vaccine.'
"This is not meant to make panic but to prepare all and mobilizing our resources to procure necessary vaccines," she said, noting that the Department of Health that supposedly provide the free 'pentavalent vaccines' is "experiencing scarcity" and has to deliver the vaccines, but said supply will only be available by July.
"DoH is experiencing scarcity. That leaves our kids very vulnerable and we need to protect them that is why we are mobilizing our resources. Nagcacanvass na ang ating procurement department," Belmonte explained, referring that the 66 health centers will soon be having the pentavalent vaccines.
The DoH also on Thursday announced that there is an increasing 'pertussis and measles cases worldwide and the agency is addressing the current increase through a renewed and intensified vaccination campaign to get more Filipinos immunized.
Rolando V. Cruz, QC's Epidemiologist Surveillance Officer on the other hand said while there were 27 pertussis cases in 2023 with three deaths in the entire year, 2024 cases are alarming since four deaths have already been recorded for only the first three months this of the year.
"Two of the babies (who died) were not vaccinated," Cruz explained, noting that it already breached the point of an outbreak.
"This disease is a vaccinable disease,we need dito declare an outbreak," Cruz said.
However, it is communicable, according to Cruz through droplets, when one sneezes or coughs.
"That's why we are alarmed. Starting last year, it showed an upward trend, this last two months, may 23 na, with four deaths," Cruz mentioned that the number of cases is rising significantly, averaging two per week. Out of these cases, 61 percent involved male infants aged between 22 and 60 days.
