Macau recorded a case of pertussis, aka whooping cough, yesterday, this year’s first one, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement last night.
Pertussis cases are rare in Macau.
According to the statement, the patient is an 11-month-old local boy. He came down with a fever and cough on Tuesday last week, and was taken to the private Kiang Wu Hospital for outpatient treatment.
As his symptoms persisted and he began to develop a rash on Friday last week, the statement said, the baby was again taken to Kiang Wu Hospital where he was then hospitalised.
According to the statement, the infant tested positive for pertussis. He was discharged from Kiang Wu Hospital yesterday after his condition had improved, the statement said.
Kiang Wu Hospital reported the case to the Health Bureau yesterday.
According to the statement, the infant, born in Macau, had previously received three DTaP jabs, a vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
The statement said that the infant does not attend a day nursery, neither has he travelled outside Macau.
According to the statement, the infant’s grandmother living with him has come down with a cough, but none of the other family members living with him have felt unwell.
The statement warned that without receiving proper treatment, pertussis can be fatal.
The statement noted that antibiotics are effective in treating pertussis provided that they are used early after the onset of the symptoms.
The statement noted that vaccinations are the most effective way for pertussis prevention. The statement also pointed out that the local government’s regular vaccination programme requires every child to receive a DTaP jab when they are two months, four months, six months, 18 months and five years old.
The statement underlined that pertussis is rare in Macau because of the government’s regular vaccination programme.
Macau did not record any pertussis cases in 2021 and 2022. One case was recorded in 2020, while three cases were confirmed in 2019.
