The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday disclosed that six million doses of pentavalent vaccine against pertussis and other diseases are due to arrive in Manila by July.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said pentavalent, a 5-in-1 vaccine, could be administered to children as young as six weeks old to curb pertussis or “whooping cough” incidents in the country.
Aside from pertussis, the pentavalent vaccine is also effective against diphtheria, tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza type B, according to the DOH.
Herbosa announced earlier that there may be a shortage of pertussis vaccines by May as government stocks were running low at only 64,400 doses as of March 25.
To address the deficit, the DOH opted to procure an older type of vaccine called DPT which could only be used against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
Herbosa admitted however, that the certificate of product registration of the DPT indicated it has already expired, requiring it to be registered once more at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
He said an additional three million doses of DPT vaccines had been ordered.
“Pag nakuha natin itong DPT, mapupunan ‘yung kakulangan natin from May, June, until July bago dumating [ang pentavalent]. Hindi naman siya shortage, ang tinatawag namin diyan, stock out (When we get these DPT vaccines, we will be able to fill the shortage of vaccines from May, June, until July, before the pentavalent vaccine arrives. It’s actually not a shortage, we call it a stock out,)” Herbosa said.
He also allayed fears over possible pertussis epidemic, saying the disease is a bacterial infection and could be treated by antibiotics.
“I have also requested the purchase of antibiotics that will be stocked in hospitals, so that when a child is infected with pertussis, he or she can be treated and can look to a full recovery,” he added.
The DOH’s latest data showed that a total of 1,112 cases have been recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to Mar. 30, 2024.
This is almost 34 times higher than the 32 cases recorded during the same period last year.
Fifty-four people have reportedly died this year due to pertussis. All of the fatalities were children less than five years old.