Macau recorded a case of pertussis, aka whooping cough, yesterday, this year’s second one, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement last night.
Pertussis cases are rare in Macau.
According to the statement, the patient is a one-year-old local girl who normally lives in the mainland. She came down with a cough on February 19, because of which she was then taken to a hospital in the mainland for treatment.
As her cough persisted, the statement said, the girl was taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre on Sunday where she tested positive for pertussis.
Last night’s statement said that the girl was in a stable condition, adding that she has returned to her home in the mainland.
The public hospital, informally known as Peak Hospital in Chinese, reported the case to the Health Bureau yesterday.
According to the statement, the girl, born in Macau, had previously had three DTaP jabs, a vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
The statement said that the girl does not attend a day nursery, neither has she travelled outside the mainland and Macau.
According to the statement, all family members living with the girl in the mainland have come down with a cough.
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 reported one pertussis case last year.
Macau did not record any pertussis cases in 2021 and 2022. One case was recorded in 2020, while three cases were confirmed in 2019.
This poster downloaded from the website of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) yesterday shows information on whooping cough.
