A troubling uptick in pertussis cases has made headlines in the Philippines. Also known as whooping cough, ubong-dalahit, or tusperina, pertussis is a relatively common respiratory disease caused by bacteria such as Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, and Bordetella holmesii. The disease can affect people of all ages, but it is especially dangerous for children and infants.
Reports from the Department of Health (DOH) continuously document pertussis cases. Their recent numbers detail 187 cases in the period spanning May 12 to May 25. The month before, DOH logged 49 deaths and a total of 862 cases of pertussis in the Philippines. Roughly 79 percent of those infected were children under five years old, prompting Iloilo City and the province of Cavite to declare a state of calamity.
Preventable fatalities
Pertussis usually starts like a common cold. According to Dr. Laarni F. Roque, an attending physician of the DLSU Health Services Office, the bacteria takes five to 10 days to invade the patient’s airways. Afterward, they will begin exhibiting symptoms ranging from a runny nose to a low-grade fever.
Patients, particularly those unvaccinated against the bacteria, may experience paroxysms or violent coughing fits that can create high-pitched “whoop” sounds. Vomiting and fatigue may also occur.
DOH details the third phase of symptoms to be marked by less frequent and less severe coughing. Although the cough usually disappears after a few weeks, the coughing fits may still recur if the patient suffers any subsequent respiratory infection. The disease is still transmittable at this stage.
But, for young children, the warning signs are not always obvious. “Sometimes symptoms don’t develop for as long as three weeks. Many babies with whooping cough don’t cough at all,” Roque elaborates. “Instead, they may have apnea,” which is life-threatening pauses in breathing.
An alarming revelation
For many health experts, vaccine hesitancy is a major cause of the outbreak. In a written response to The LaSallian, DOH says that the country encounters problems with vaccine hesitancy “due to misinformation and lack of awareness of the availability of free vaccination in barangay health centers.”
The most common way to address pertussis is by administering pentavalent vaccines, which also offers protection against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, Haemophilus, and influenza type B. Infants as young as six weeks old may be given this vaccine for free at government health centers. Additionally, pregnant women can avail the Tdap vaccine, which shields their unborn babies against pertussis.
Despite the availability of these treatments, DOH Secretary Dr. Teodoro Herbosa reveals that the Philippines is among the countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children. “Vaccination coverage for pentavalent is consistently below target even prior to the pandemic,” he notes.
The DOH’s efforts in immunization have been hampered due to the misinformation surrounding vaccines. At the height of the pandemic, the lockdowns also restricted people’s movement, making it more difficult for children to receive their routine immunization. “This is why we are looking at the population below five years old, which coincides with how long it has been since the pandemic,” Herbosa expounds.
Rewriting an irrational fear
Transmission of pertussis is generally preventable by isolating infected individuals and practicing good hygiene, such as using face masks, covering coughs and sneezes using disposable tissues and washing one’s hands often with soap and water. Still, there exists a paralyzing fear of the most optimal method of prevention: vaccination.
One common misconception surrounding vaccination is that it is made up of unsafe toxins, which could lead to multiple other illnesses or disorders, such as autism. Moreover, some parents are wary of using them as they believe that an infant’s immune system cannot handle the effects of the vaccines. Others prefer natural immunity over the doses.
In reality, vaccines are a safe way to teach the body how to defend itself from harmful microbes. Although it can cause a mild infection when introduced into the body, it will inevitably help the immune system recognize and kill the bacteria or virus, making their attacks less severe and easier to recover from.
Developing and implementing vaccines for immunization is an essential pillar of a healthy society. Currently, the DOH plans to procure three million pentavalent vaccines and 6,000 bottles of antibiotics to stem the spread of pertussis. They also urge families and local governments to participate in their vaccination campaigns. Through concerted efforts, they aim to dispel the myths and misconceptions that continue to plague these treatments.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s June 2024 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSJune2024.
