Recently in the progressive City of Muntinlupa, the City Government warned the public about the spread of Pertussis (also referred to as whooping cough) which already caused over four hundred cases counted in the first ten weeks of the year in the country (according to the Department of Health’s statistics), according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
The Muntinlupa City government warned the public about pertussis, or whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness.
“Pertussis spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. The disease is most dangerous in infants, and is a significant cause of disease and death in this age group,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 453 cases of pertussis in the first 10 weeks of 2024.
Dr. Juancho Bunyi, head of the Muntinlupa City Health Office (CHO), said pertussis is a bacterial disease affecting the mucous membrane of the throat.
The symptoms of pertussis, he said, include persistent cough with episodes of vomiting. The cough lasts for two weeks.
“And for every cough episodes, meron siyang pagsusuka (And for every cough episode, the patient will have vomiting),” Bunyi said in a video uploaded by the Muntinlupa City government on Facebook.
He told Manila Bulletin that the Muntinlupa CHO is currently monitoring five cases of pertussis from different barangays with no clustering. No death from pertussis has been recorded in Muntinlupa.
The CHO is also doing a defaulter tracking of children who may have missed their pertussis shots, Bunyi added.
“Individuals who are experiencing prolonged and excessive cough of more than 2 weeks with fever, runny nose and with vomiting episodes after bouts of cough are advised to seek immediate consultation,” said Bunyi.
He added, “Pertussis if left untreated may lead to respiratory distress and eventually difficulty of breathing resulting to death. As of to date Muntinlupa has no fatality from pertussis.”
Bunyi advised wearing of face masks for those who were in close contact and for families with known cases of pertussis.
“As a standard measure to prevent any type of airborne infection just like pertussis, wearing of face mask is prescribed especially to those in close contacts and families with known case of pertussis or whooping cough,” he said.
He encouraged people to have their children vaccinated against pertussis.
“Since this is a vaccine preventable disease, mother’s are encouraged to bring their children to the nearest health facilities to get their pertussis shots which is given free to all public health institutions . Those who failed to complete the dose (defaulters) requirement for the shot are likewise encouraged to get immunized,” he said.
In the video, he said pertussis is included in pentahib, or pentavalent vaccine, which is a routine immunization of children in the country.
Pertussis is part of the DPT immunization, or diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, are you concerned that Pertussis could have infected some members of your local community? Are people in your local community aware of whooping cough?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Author Carlo Carrasco 