Pangasinan records 3 pertussis cases
THREE cases of pertussis were reported in the province, according to the provincial health office.
Dr. Anna de Guzman told iFM Dagupan in an interview on Wednesday that the three cases were in Urdaneta City, Sto. Tomas and San Nicolas towns.
She said pertussis is a respiratory tract infection that affects mostly young people, and also called ‘whooping cough’, caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis characterized by intense coughing, difficulty of breathing and apnea as well as vomiting, she said.
Most of the assisted cases in Pangasinan were below one year old, she added.
Hospitals in Pangasinan are ready for this, she said, and the challenge is the early determination that a patient is a pertussis case and provide special attention to monitor properly his/her treatment.
Meanwhile, De Guzman said they are monitoring the complications caused by the intense heat index.
She said at risk highly are farmers who work in the fields and are exposed to severe hot temperature from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and thus will experience heat exhaustion, and high blood pressure.
She advised people to hydrate their body by drinking more water and avoid direct sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
She said people should refrain from drinking tea, coffee or soda as these further decrease water from the human body. Energy or sports drink can help as these contain minerals/electrolytes as heat exhaustion or heat cramps are triggered by heavy sweating that releases ions with the sweat.
When experiencing heat cramps, people should go to a cooler place, put on cold compress or towels in different parts of the body to lower body temperature, she also said. (Eva Visperas)
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