By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) said yesterday they recorded one suspected case of pertussis or whooping cough in the province.

The two-year-old patient is currently confined at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.

PHO head Dr. Girlie Pinonggan said they are currently awaiting laboratory results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Pinonggan said, based on the information gathered, the patient is not a resident of Bacolod City.

She is also reported to be in a stable condition.

Pinonggan has cautioned the public, as pertussis is a highly-contagious respiratory disease, and children are the most vulnerable to infection.

Its symptoms can be mild for adults, but it can become severe among infants and young children.

Infection can be acquired primarily through direct contact with discharges from the respiratory mucus membranes of infected persons.

The PHO head is advising those who are showing symptoms of pertussis, such as runny nose, low-grade fever and cough, to immediately consult a doctor.

In an advisory issued on March 15, the Department of Health in Western Visayas reported 18 pertussis cases in the region, indicating a 100 percent increase compared to the number of cases recorded in the same period last year./DGB, WDJ