Whooping cough typically peaks every three to five years, and the latest numbers show it’s back to pre-pandemic levels.
MILWAUKEE — The pertussis outbreak is at its highest level for this time of year in a decade, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18,506 cases of pertussis have been reported so far. This is the highest number so far this year since 2014, when the number of infected people exceeded 21,800.
The increase is not unexpected, and health experts say whooping cough peaks every three to five years. And the numbers show a return to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, when whooping cough and other contagious diseases have plummeted.
Still, the tally has raised concerns from some state health officials, including those in Wisconsin, which had a total of 51 cases last year. This year, the number has reached approximately 1,000 so far.
Nationally, the CDC reported that kindergarten immunization rates declined last year and vaccine exemptions were at record levels. The state released state statistics Thursday showing about 86% of kindergarteners in Wisconsin have received pertussis vaccinations, compared to more than 92% nationally.
Whooping cough, also known as whooping cough, usually starts like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, then turns into a persistent cough. Treated with antibiotics. Pertussis was very common until the introduction of vaccines in the 1950s and is now part of routine childhood immunizations. It is given at the same time as the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. Combo shots are recommended for adults every 10 years.
“People used to call it 100-day cough because it literally lasts 100 days,” says Joyce Knestric, a family nurse practitioner in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Whooping cough is usually seen primarily in infants and young children and can cause serious complications. Therefore, vaccination during pregnancy is recommended to pass on protection to those who spend a lot of time with newborns and infants.
But public health workers say this year’s outbreak is hitting older children and teens. In Pennsylvania, most infections are occurring in middle school, high school and college settings, officials said. Nearly all of the cases in Douglas County, Nebraska, are school children and teenagers, said Justin Frederick, deputy director of the health department.
That includes his own teenage daughter.
“It’s a horrible disease. Even after being treated with antibiotics, she wakes up in a panic, coughing so hard she can’t breathe,” he said.
Dr. Kris Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, says it’s important to get tested early and treat with antibiotics. People exposed to the bacteria may also take antibiotics to stop the spread.
“Whooping cough is worth preventing,” Bryant says. “The good news is there is a safe and effective vaccine.”
