There is no outbreak of diphtheria in the Philippines despite an uptick in deaths this year, a health official said today.
Although the infections and deaths in the first nine months of 2019 have already eclipsed what is typical in a full year, Health Department Undersecretary Eric Domingo said there is no reason to think it will see the comeback enjoyed by dengue, polio, and measles in recent years.
“We still do get cases of diphtheria,” he told The Philippine Daily Inquirer. “What’s important with diphtheria is that we control it immediately to make sure it doesn’t spread by giving antibiotics to all of [an infected patient’s] contacts. So far, we haven’t had any outbreaks nor a continuous spread or transmission of diphtheria. We’re also not seeing any trend that is threatening as of this time.”
Around 150 cases of diphtheria typically appear nationwide each year, Domingo said. Since January, there have been 168 cases and 41 deaths compared to 122 cases and 30 deaths in the same period last year.
Read: Manila elementary student died of diphtheria, health department confirms
Despite the absence of an outbreak, the deaths of the patients are “unacceptable” because they could have easily been avoided through vaccinations, the head of the government’s child disease control division told ABS-CBN News.
Anthony Calibo, a physician, said that while both adults and children can catch diphtheria, the youth are particularly vulnerable because their immune systems are weaker.
“So if children are not vaccinated, and they are exposed to the bacteria, there is a bigger risk that they will acquire the disease. This may lead to death if not treated immediately,” Calibo said.
Records show that in 2018, only 65% of infants received the so-called pentavalent vaccine, which protects against diphtheria as well as pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza B, a bacterium distinct from the flu virus that can be fatal.
That’s a far cry from the 95% vaccine coverage which Calibo said the Philippines needs to achieve to attain “herd immunity.”
Fears that a diphtheria outbreak is underway surfaced after an infected 10-year-old girl died last week. The child’s death spurred the Manila Health Office to immunize adults and children in Pandacan, Manila, where the deceased girl resided. Her classmates and teachers also received vaccines and her school was disinfected.
Authorities say the reemergence of several diseases could be linked to Filipinos’ fear of vaccines due to the unfounded panic two years ago surrounding a now-banned dengue fever vaccine.
Anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia was included in the government’s health program in 2016 and some 800,000 school children were immunized with it.
In 2017, a top public prosecutor, Persida Acosta, jumped on the anti-vaxx bandwagon to allege that Dengvaxia had killed hundreds of children. It was a claim rejected by many doctors, including Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Decreased vaccine coverage across the archipelago has now led to a measles outbreak earlier this year, a national dengue epidemic that began last month, and the return of polio in the Philippines.
Diphtheria is typically spread through coughing and sneezing, although it can be spread by contact with an object exposed to the bacteria. Symptoms include lethargy, sore throat, fever, and the appearance of swollen glands in the neck. One in 10 patients will die from diphtheria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anyone who thinks they might be infected should seek medical attention immediately.
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