LUCENA CITY — The Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region recorded 24 new pertussis cases, the Department of Health’s Health Education and Promotion Unit (DOH-HEPU4A) in the region reported Tuesday, April 30.
The latest data from the agency’s “pertussis tracker” covering Jan. 1 to April 27 showed that the total number of cases reached 382 from only 352 a week ago.
The agency’s Morbidity Week 16 list shows that Cavite had the highest number of pertussis cases since Jan. 1 with 88 live patients and 10 fatalities. Rizal province followed with 87 and five deaths; Laguna, 69 and four deaths; Batangas, 69 but no deaths; Quezon, 41 and one fatality; and Lucena City, 3 and zero deaths.
READ: DOH: Pertussis cases in Calabarzon still rising
Of the 382 cases, at least 245 were classified as “clinical,” while 137 as “laboratory confirmed.”
Health authorities define a “laboratory confirmed” to be a case of acute cough illness of any duration with a positive culture for Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis, which causes cough, colds, and fever.
A “clinical” case is a patient whose cough lasts up to two weeks with at least paroxysms, inspiratory “whooping,” and post-tussive vomiting symptoms.
The latest result showed that Cavite topped the list of those classified as “laboratory confirmed” cases with 33 living patients and six fatalities.
READ: DOH: Calabarzon logs 103 confirmed pertussis cases
Laguna followed with 30 living patients and three deaths; Rizal, 29 and two deaths; Batangas, 23, 0; Quezon, 9, 0; and Lucena City, 2, 0.
In the “clinical” cases, Rizal posted the highest with 58 living patients and two deaths. Cavite comes next with 55 living patients and four deaths; Batangas, 46, 0; Laguna, 39, 1; Quezon, 38, 1; and Lucena City, 1, 0.
However, based on DOH-Calabarzon’s Morbidity Week 15 to Morbidity 16 list, it logged a much higher 35 new cases.
While treatable, pertussis poses a threat to infants and young children, who are at risk of severe symptoms and life-threatening complications and outcomes.