Two whooping cough cases in Labuan
Published on: Friday, October 19, 2018
Labuan: Two cases of pertussis, also known as batuk kokol (whooping cough), were reported in the island, involving a mother and her infant.Labuan Health Director Dr Ismuni Bohari said the first was reported on Oct 3 when the month-old baby, who had symptoms for about a week since Sept 29, was diagnosed with the cough.The baby's mother, who is not a citizen of Malaysia, was later diagnosed with the disease. ADVERTISEMENT Dr Ismuni said the woman, who apparently had the symptoms since Sept 27, had not received pertussis immunisation before and that her baby was too young to receive the vaccination."However, the situation is under control as we have treated the two patients and since then no new cases of pertussis have been reported," he said.According to Ismuni, pertussis (whooping cough) is caused by the Bordetella Pertussis bacteria which can spread easily and infect others. However, it can be prevented with a vaccination."Infants and children who are not fully immunised are the most vulnerable. Usually the infected person will have long-lasting cough within one to two weeks and may last up to two months.ADVERTISEMENT Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"Severe complications include convulsions, pneumonia, encephalopathy (inflammation of the brain) and even death," he said.Ismuni said his department will continue to monitor the situation and that they have begun to take precautionary measures and increase awareness on the disease within the local community. - Iffah Dilaney