Infectious whooping cough disease soaring in the Philippines; 54 deaths reported and all are children below age of 5

MANILA, April 9 (Bernama-Xinhua): The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said the contagious bacterial disease called pertussis or whooping cough continues to spread in the country, noting that 54 children have died from the respiratory disease.

From Jan 1 to March 30, the DOH tallied 1,112 cases, or "almost 34 times that of the same period last year", with 54 deaths.