MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is urging parents to ensure that their children receive the complete dose of all recommended vaccines in their first year of life.
The health department issued the statement amid the rise in the number of diphtheria cases in the country.
“Apart from the measles and poliomyelitis outbreaks that have been declared by the DOH, we must equally protect our infants and young children from other vaccine preventable diseases, namely, diphtheria, pertussis (or whooping cough), and tetanus through immunization,” the DOH said in a statement.
The DOH said that the number of reported cases of diphtheria in the country in the first nine months of the year had reached 167 cases, 40 of which resulted in deaths.
This is higher than the 122 cases and 30 deaths reported in the same period in 2018.
“Aside from heightened immunization, the anti-toxin for diphtheria is available in the country, through the assistance of the World Health Organization,” the health department explained.
“Antibiotics for diphtheria, namely penicillin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin, are locally and commercially available,” it added.
The health department said that it is continuing to monitor diphtheria cases in the country, adding that the reasons for the rising trend are being investigated. /muf