Bacolod City – As the number of suspected pertussis cases rise in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Health Office is targeting 20,000 more children for vaccination.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan disclosed that some towns and cities in Negros Occidental still have no available vaccines for Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus (DPT).
Pinongan said the Department of Health in Region 6 has yet to deliver the vaccines, resulting in the low DPT vaccination rate in the province. She however assured that once the vaccines arrive, catch-up vaccination will be conducted in the province.
This is in addition to the 10,000 vials of vaccines that have been purchased by the provincial government, Pinongan said.
PHO data indicates that the majority of the children infected with pertussis have not undergone DPT vaccination.
Of the 54,000 children in Negros Occidental aged 0 to 59 months, about 30,000 have been vaccinated with DPT, Pinongan said.
Negros Occidental has recorded 74 pertussis-related cases, of which 14 are confirmed positive, 40 negative, 20 probable, and one death.
In Bacolod City, the City Health Office recorded nine positive cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star)