Bacolod City Health Office vigilant against pertussis

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – The City Health Office (CHO) is awaiting the confirmatory test results for a suspected pertussis case.

Barangay Singcang-Airport Captain Atty. Caesar Distrito, spokesperson for Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, clarified that the patient, a two-month-old baby girl, is not a resident of this city.

The infant was hospitalized early this month in a local private facility and was discharged last week, the CHO reported.

Pertussis, commonly referred to as whooping cough, is an extremely contagious respiratory illness, attributable to the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, per World Health Organization (WHO) findings.

“There has been no confirmed case of pertussis here,” Distrito stated, ensuring the public of the CHO’s readiness for any potential outbreak. He emphasized that the city’s extensive vaccination efforts are ongoing.

Distrito reinforced the CHO’s capability to handle outbreaks and recommended that the public avoid taking children to densely populated areas as a precaution.