BACOLOD CITY: A suspected case of pertussis has been reported by the City Health Office (CHO) over the weekend.

This was announced by Caesar Distrito, spokesman for Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez, during a press conference on Monday.

The patient, a minor, is not a resident of Bacolod but was admitted in a local hospital after showing whooping cough symptoms.

Distrito said that samples from the patient will undergo confirmatory testing to validate the initial diagnosis.

The patient is a 2-month-old female who was admitted on March 17 and discharged on March 23, CHO Environment Sanitation Division chief Dr. Grace Tan said.

Tan said they are awaiting the result from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

In response to this development, Distrito assured the public of the city's readiness to manage and handle an outbreak of the highly communicable respiratory disease.

Distrito said the mayor has advised the public to avoid bringing young children in crowded public places, especially those who have not been vaccinated for whooping cough.

Bacolod residents were advised to wear masks in public places to avoid infection.

Distrito said the CHO is ready to respond to a whooping cough outbreak, although he advised the public not to panic because there is only one unverified case reported in the city.

He added that Bacolod is one of the recipients of the pertussis vaccine from the national government.

Last week, the DoH announced the procurement of at least 800,000 vaccine doses expected to arrive in June.

In an earlier statement, Health Undersecretary Enrique Tayag said babies and children up to 12 years old may avail of the pertussis vaccine provided by the DoH for free in health centers.

Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, and mainly transmitted through person-to-person respiratory droplets, or contact with airborne droplets and exposure to infected or contaminated clothes, utensils, and furniture, among others.

Symptoms include a persistent cough that may last two or more weeks, mild fever, and a runny nose.

The pentavalent vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza type B and hepatitis B.

The bacteria responsible for whooping cough spread easily through coughing and sneezing, even among individuals with mild or asymptomatic cases, emphasizing the importance of preventive measures and early detection.