DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) spokesman Dr. Eric Tayag said Saturday the agency was doing quick procurement of 5-in-1 vaccines for pertussis or whooping cough following reported cases in Quezon City, Calabarzon and Central Visayas regions.
In a news forum in Quezon City, Tayag said that apart from the low vaccine coverage, the country also had a problem with the supply of 5-in-1 vaccines.
“That is why the Department of Health is doing quick procurement so that the needed supply of vaccines can be distributed immediately,” Tayag said.
The good thing, he said, is that there are available antibiotics that can be administered to patients with appropriate doctor’s prescriptions.
He also advised the new doctors to be wary of pertussis symptoms in patients rushing to hospitals.
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Pertussis or whooping cough is called “ubong-dalahit” or “tuspirina” in Filipino. It is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection that causes influenza-like symptoms of mild fever, colds and coughs seven to 10 days after exposure.
“This cough, in typical cases, will develop into a characteristic hacking cough. Pertussis can be treated by antibiotics, but it is best prevented through vaccination,” the DoH said.
Tayag expects mothers to get the right information on the importance of immunization, particularly against pertussis, which has been affecting infants.
He said there was a current outbreak of pertussis because of the drop in vaccination rate, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the Dengvaxia controversy that created fear among mothers about having their children vaccinated.
He added that before the Dengvaxia issue, the country’s vaccination coverage was between 75 and 85 percent, dropping between 60 and 65 percent after the controversy.
The Philippines attained “golden years” of immunization during the time of former health secretary Juan Flavier under the Oplan Alis Disease, with the Philippines maintaining above 90 percent immunization coverage at the time.
Tayag said the DoH was working to bring back the country’s prominence as having at least 90 percent immunization coverage.
He noted that the immunization coverage was returning to normalcy when the people had slowly regained trust and confidence in vaccines after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tayag also clarified that immunization coverage was already high since the current record does not cover the private sector’s initiatives in conducting inoculation drives against certain diseases.
He said the DoH was closely coordinating with the Philippine Pediatric Society and other private entities, which recorded around 10 to 20 percent of their inoculation drive, bringing the country’s coverage to around 60 to 70 percent.
He added that they were not just looking at the vaccine coverage but also at the availability of the vaccines in the country.
As of March 9, Tayag said there were 453 reported pertussis cases in the country, with 35 deaths.
Out of the 453 patients who underwent laboratory testing, he said there were 167 confirmed pertussis or tuspirina cases.
Most cases are in Metro Manila, followed by Calabarzon and Central Visayas, the health official said.
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