MANILA — The Philippines recorded 862 cases of pertussis or whooping cough from January 1 to March 23, 2024, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

The DOH said that Metro Manila, Mimaropa, Central Luzon, Central Visayas and Western Visayas had the most number of pertussis infections.

It also reported that deaths related to pertussis rose to 49 in the same period.

The DOH said the number of pertussis cases could still change due to late consultations and reports.

"The effects of increasing immunization efforts to stem the outbreak may not be seen in the data until 4-6 weeks after they are started," it said.

The health agency noted that other nations such as the United Kingdom are also seeing a "sharp rise" in pertussis cases.

Pertussis, or tusperina and ubong-dalahit in Filipino, is a highly transmissible and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection.

It easily spreads through droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

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VACCINATION

According to the agency, 79 percent of the total pertussis cases recorded so far this year were below 5 years old. The majority of them were unvaccinated or unaware of their vaccination history.

This makes the case for aggressive vaccination of pentavalent jabs for children, as adults ages 20 and above account for only 4 percent of the total pertussis infections.

The DOH has distributed some 64,400 shots nationwide to arrest the spread of pertussis, as it awaits the arrival of 3 million additional jabs.

The agency said infants as young as 6 weeks could receive the pentavalent vaccine for free at government health centers. Children 1 to 6 years old may get a booster dose, it said.

These vaccines protect not only against pertussis but also against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Hemophilus influenza type B.

"Older children, as well as adults are advised to consult a doctor or health center for advice on the appropriate vaccine. Pregnant women may ask about the 'Tdap' vaccine, which allows for protection of their soon to be born babies against Pertussis," the health department said.

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The resurgence of pertussis is seen by doctors and health advocates as a setback to decades of progress made against vaccine-preventable illnesses, partly due to vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation and disinformation.

The DOH has attributed the spike in pertussis cases to the disruption in routine vaccinations in kids brought by pandemic lockdowns.