UNICEF says the Philippines has one of the highest numbers of unvaccinated children, making them the most at risk.
The Philippine government has announced plans to administer 3 million doses of the respiratory tract infection vaccine over the next three months as the whooping cough outbreak causes many deaths.
Dozens of infants have died in the Philippines in the past five months, with most recorded cases affecting children under the age of five.
According to the latest data released by the Philippine Department of Health (DoH) on Sunday, there are at least 862 confirmed cases nationwide, 50 times more than last year.
At least 49 deaths have also been recorded since the beginning of the year.
Two-and-a-half-month-old Zion Trepalma was among those suffering from the disease, medically known as whooping cough. His parents said he was hospitalized for several weeks because he couldn't stop coughing.
“It wasn't a normal cough sound, it was a wheezing cough,” the infant's father, Danny Trepalma, told Al Jazeera.
UNICEF estimates that 1 million Filipino children missed routine immunizations in 2021, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. [File: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]The respiratory tract infection is better known as whooping cough because of its distinctive sound.
“It's a cough followed by a prolonged effort to inhale,” said pediatric infectious disease expert John Kelvin Gabot.
Al Jazeera's Barnaby Law reported from Manila that doctors say whooping cough can be fatal but can be treated if detected early. “And more importantly, it's preventable through vaccination,” he says.
UNICEF said the Philippines has one of the highest numbers of unvaccinated children, which could be contributing to the spread of the virus. The United Nations agency estimates that one million Filipino children missed out on routine vaccinations in 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak.
Due to the pandemic lockdown, many parents were unable to get their children the necessary vaccinations. Vaccine hesitancy was also high.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Albert Domingo told Al Jazeera that during the pandemic, health workers had to shift their attention to caring for thousands of patients while forcing parents and children to stay at home. Ta.
“Then there was a problem of hesitation,” he said.
As part of the government's emergency response, health workers are vaccinating children in areas with confirmed cases of whooping cough, with plans to vaccinate an additional 5 million people by the end of the year.
With supplies in short supply, many parents say they hope vaccines arrive before the outbreak worsens.
