Macau recorded this year’s third case of pertussis, aka whooping cough, yesterday, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement last night.
According to the statement, the patient is a three-year-old local boy who normally lives in the mainland. He lives with his one-year-old sister who was Macau’s second pertussis patient this year, the statement said.
The girl’s case was announced on Monday last week.
Last night’s statement said that the boy came down with a cough on February 25, after which he was taken to a hospital in the mainland for treatment.
As his cough persisted and he began to develop a fever on Friday last week, the statement said, the boy was then taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre where he tested positive for pertussis.
Last night’s statement said that the boy was in a stable condition, adding that he has meanwhile returned to his 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 boy, born in Macau, had not received his fourth DTaP jab, a vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, which children should receive when they are 18 months old.
The statement said that the boy attends a day nursery in the mainland, adding that he had not travelled outside the mainland and Macau before he was diagnosed with pertussis.
According to the statement, all family members living with the boy in the mainland have come down with a cough, all of whom have sought treatment there.
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.
However, the statement said, the incidence rates of pertussis have been gradually increasing in various countries and regions worldwide over the past decade, adding that one of the possible reasons is that pregnant women and other adults’ levels of antibodies against pertussis have been gradually declining because of a decrease in natural infections over the period.
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.
