A post at Freedom Park fell after it was struck by a boom truck of a construction company along Roxas Ave., Poblacion District, Davao City. According to workers on the site, the post was struck on Sunday, September 3, 2023, cutting the electric and telecom lines and damaging the pathway of the park. The road where the incident happened is closed for repairs both for the lines and the post.

THE Department of HealthDavao Region (DOH-Davao) announced on Monday morning, September 4, during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao, that there has been an increase in the number of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, cases in the region.

According to DOH-Davao Medical Officer Dr. Janis V. Olavidez, there have been 31 cases of whooping cough in the region, with 19 reported in Davao City.

The affected children are all under five years old, most of whom are around one month old. Out of the 31 cases, 25 children have not received vaccines.

Pertussis is a contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Its symptoms include a twoweek cough and a distinctive high-pitched whooping sound during coughing, which can lead to cyanosis, characterized by bluish skin, nail beds, and lips due to oxygen deprivation.

Olavidez noted that the 19 cases in the city are scattered, and no clusters have been identified, nor have there been more than two cases in one barangay. The City Health Office’s (CHO) response will be tailored to the cases they have recorded.

In the past three years, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the region reported zero cases of pertussis. DOH-Davao attributes the recent increase in cases to the many children who missed their routine vaccinations during the pandemic.

She urged all mothers and caregivers to ensure their children receive complete vaccinations since whooping cough is a preventable disease through vaccination.

The first dose of Pentavalent vaccine is administered to oneand-a-half-month-old infants; the second dose is administered to two-and-a-half-month-old infants, whereas the third shot will be after the infants’ third month.

She emphasized the contagious nature of the disease, stating that even after 21 days, the infection may continue to spread. Therefore, individuals surrounding an afflicted child must be monitored. The health measures for those exposed to someone with pertussis are similar to Covid-19 health protocols, including isolation. Medication is also provided to affected individuals.

Dr. Mae Concepcion Dolendo, the founding President of the House of Hope and Head of the Cancer Institute, added that besides pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus are also on the rise among children who missed booster shots. She highlighted the need for vaccination efforts to combat the increasing cases of these diseases in the region.

In addition to pertussis, the DOH-Davao Region is intensifying its vaccination efforts to address the country’s rise in measles and rubella cases.