Previously contained whooping cough re-emerges; 3 cases in GA. Villin'gili

Gaafu Alif Vilin'gili has reported three children positive for Pertussis [also called Whooping cough] within this month. Pertussis is an illness that has been contained in Maldives for years. This is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis.

A press release by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reveals that contact tracing was done together with the island and IGMH (India Gandhi Memorial Hospital). This tracing found children under a year old and women who are over 6 months pregnant as contacts, who were provided with the antibiotic prophylaxis that is used as a precaution to prevent an infection, rather than treat.