BACOLOD CITY: Five infants in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have tested positive for pertussis, health officials confirmed on Tuesday, April 9.

Negros Occidental provincial health officer Girlie Pinongan said two babies in Negros Occidental, both 2 months old, tested positive for pertussis. She said there are 23 other suspected cases.

Grace Tan, head of the City Health Office (CHO)-Environment Sanitation Division in Bacolod City, confirmed that three babies from 1 to 3 months old also tested positive.

A fourth suspected case in Bacolod City tested negative, she said.

The three babies who tested positive are from Barangay Taculing, Tangub and Villamonte, but only one of them remained at a hospital, Tan said.

Close contacts of confirmed cases were traced for antibiotic prophylaxis, she said.

Completion of pertussis vaccination is strongly encouraged in children under 2 years old, Tan said.

The CHO is conducting mapping and catching-up immunization for the unimmunized and incompletely immunized 0 to 23 months old children, she said.

The CHO has been collaborating with the Provincial Health Office and infectious disease consultants for joint guidelines, advisories and management of pertussis in Bacolod and Negros Occidental, Tan added.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez recently issued a joint public advisory on pertussis awareness in the face of concern over the increasing confirmed and probable cases.

All health facilities and stations were highly encouraged to set up a fast lane for respiratory and influenza-related illnesses.

Pertussis or "whooping cough," caused mainly by bordetella pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection which can be transmitted via droplet and can infect up to 90 percent of nonimmune household contacts, but mostly infects children below 6 months old, the joint public health advisory of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City said.

Immediate consultation with a medical facility was strongly advised if symptoms start. Proper referral and medication will be through health care providers and facilities, the joint health advisory said.

To prevent being infected with pertussis the following is advised:

– Proper cough etiquette should be observed (cover mouth and nose with tissue when coughing or sneezing, avoid coughing into hands);

– Maintain distance of more than 3 feet if possible;

– Frequent and proper hand hygiene;

– Use of medical masks when in closed or crowded areas;

– Review primary immunization, especially for pertussis, and seek catch-up vaccination or booster if necessary;

– Avoid bringing infants and unprotected (unvaccinated) children in crowded places;

– School-aged children manifesting respiratory symptoms (cough, runny nose and fever) are discouraged from attending school and shall be referred to the nearest health center or primary care facility; and

– Post-exposure antibiotic prophylaxis is highly recommended for high-risk individuals with exposure to a confirmed case.

Parents were encouraged to bring their infants for free vaccinations in health centers.

– First dose — one-and-a-half months old (six weeks old);

– Second dose — two-and-a-half months old (10 weeks old); and

– Third dose — three-and-a-half months old (14 weeks old).

For the unvaccinated general public, catch-up immunization and booster doses beyond the target ages of the National Immunization Program are highly recommended, the advisory said.

Pertussis-containing vaccines may be available in private clinics, it added.