PALO, Leyte — Pertussis, or whooping cough, remains a significant threat to infants’ lives in Eastern Visayas, with seven deaths recorded since the beginning of the year.

From January to 13 June Eastern Visayas has reported a total of 250 cases of pertussis, with more than half (140 cases) affecting infants below one-year-old, as reported by the Department of Health (DoH) regional office on Saturday.

Among the 250 cases, 179 individuals, accounting for 72 percent, were not vaccinated with the pentavalent vaccine, which could have prevented severe symptoms, including the deaths of seven infants. Of these fatalities, two each were from Leyte, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, while Samar reported one death.

Leyte recorded the highest number of cases among the provinces in Eastern Visayas, with 126 cases reported.

The DoH-8 report also indicates that 36 of the 250 reported cases were confirmed as pertussis through laboratory tests conducted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The health department advised the public to adhere to Minimum Public Health Standards when leaving their homes or in public places.

DoH-8 also emphasized the importance of promptly bringing patients displaying pertussis symptoms to the nearest health center or healthcare professional, as the illness is treatable with antibiotics.