Southern Thailand battles surge in whooping cough cases

A surge in pertussis cases, commonly known as whooping cough, has prompted public health bodies to urge individuals, particularly in southern Thailand, to get vaccinated. So far this year, almost 100 Thai residents have been diagnosed with the infectious disease.

The Disease Control Department disclosed yesterday that there have been 93 confirmed cases of pertussis between January 1 and November 22, resulting in one fatality in Pattani. The unfortunate victim was an 18 day old infant who contracted the infection from family members, according to Dr Anurak Saraphab, a medical doctor at Pattani Provincial Public Health.

The report revealed that Pattani had the highest number of cases in the country, with 72 individuals testing positive for the disease. Dr Chaloemphol Osotpromma, director of the Office of Disease Control 12 in Songkhla, further noted that the majority of patients reside in the south. Out of the 93 diagnosed patients, 81 hailed from the deep southern provinces including Pattani and Narathiwat, reported Bangkok Post.

Among the infected, 54.7% were under a year old and 11.5% were between one and four years old. All of these were either non-vaccinated infants or those who had not received the full course of the required doses.

Pertussis, caused by the Bordetella pertussis fungus, is often contracted by infants from adults. This fungus induces a paroxysmal cough, an inspiratory whoop, and fainting or vomiting following a coughing fit. In certain cases, these symptoms can be fatal and can persist for two to three months, according to Dr Chaloemphol.

The vaccine for pertussis is considered essential for infants, along with those for diphtheria and tetanus. Dr Chaloemphol highlighted the need for a 90% vaccination rate in each area to establish community-level immunity against these diseases. However, in a pertussis cluster area in the Deep South, the vaccination rate was a mere 62%. The vaccine is administered to children from two months old.