THE PHILIPPINES has received 500,000 doses of a vaccine that protects against five diseases including pertussis or whooping cough.
The Pentavalent vaccine doses arrived in the country this month and have been kept in cold storage while paperwork for their distribution was being finalized, the Department of Health said in a statement.
It said another 750,000 doses of the Pentavalent vaccine are set to arrive next week.
The agency noted that pertussis cases in July declined to about 50 per week from 300 weekly in April.
There were 131 pertussis cases from July 7 to 20, 77 cases from July 21 to Aug. 3, and 19 cases from Aug. 4 to 17, it said.
Only four regions — Cagayan Valley, Metro Manila, Western Visayas, and Davao Region — reported an increase in the past six weeks from Aug. 17. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
