QC gov’t procures P13M worth of 6-in-1 vaccine, antibiotics vs pertussis

The Quezon City government on Tuesday said it has procured vaccines and antibiotics worth P13 million for the treatment of pertussis cases in its area.

In a statement, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the purchased items include 3,500 vials of 6-in-1 vaccine; 1,012 bottles of Azithromycin; and 1,000 bottles of Clarithromycin.

Aside from pertussis, the mayor said the 6-in-1 vaccine also provides protection from diphtheria, tetanus, polio, haemophilus influenzae, and hepatitis B.

These will be administered to children 6 weeks old and up who have yet to receive a vaccine for pertussis, according to the city government.

Azithromycin and Clarithromycin are antibiotics prescribed for pertussis patients, it added.

”Pagdating na pagdating ng mga binili nating bakuna at gamot, agad natin itong ipinadala sa ating mga health center, lalo na sa mga lugar na mataas ang bilang ng pertussis,” Belmonte said.

(When the vaccines and medicines we bought arrived, we immediately sent them to our health centers, especially in areas with high pertussis rates.)

The city government is planning to buy more vaccines considering that the national government has limited supply, Belmonte said.

As of April 5, the city’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division reported 41 pertussis cases including six deaths. The city government provided burial and financial assistance to the affected families.

Around 60% or 21 pertussis cases were infants below six months old. The ages of the patients ranged from 22 days old to 13 years old with a median age of three months, the city government said.

On March 21, Quezon City declared an outbreak of whooping cough or pertussis following an increase in the cases of the contagious respiratory infection.

Pertussis is a contagious disease in lungs caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, the Quezon City government said citing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All people may develop the disease but the most vulnerable are children aged five and below, especially those who have yet to be vaccinated and with weak resistance.

The disease may be passed on when an infected person sneezes or coughs and transfers the bacteria to other people.

It causes influenza-like symptoms of mild fever, colds, and coughs seven to 10 days after exposure. The cough typically develops into a characteristic hacking cough.

The Department of Health (DOH) attributed the increase in cases to the disruptions in routine immunization at primary care centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to this, the DOH urged the public to catch up on immunization for vaccine preventable diseases such as pertussis and measles.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News