Iloilo City declares state of calamity due to pertussis outbreak

Iloilo City has been placed under a state of calamity only a day after declaring an outbreak of pertussis or whooping cough.

The decision was made during a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday

In a statement from the LGU, the city currently has a total of 16 cases of pertussis, seven of which are confirmed cases from the districts of Molo, Jaro, Arevalo and Lapuz.

“With the state of calamity status, the city government can utilize the calamity fund for the procurement of medicines and vaccines, and for other strengthened measures and responses against the infectious disease,” the statement read.

The pertussis outbreak in the province was officially declared on Monday under the recommendation of the Iloilo City Health Office, while data from the Iloilo Provincial Epidemiology Surveillance Unit showed the cases have also reached the “alert and epidemic threshold.”

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office also said that the outbreak may have also been caused by low vaccination coverage in the province.

Campaigns on vaccinations are planned to be emphasized over the coming days.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/RF, GMA Integrated News