Whooping cough has reached its highest level in a decade for this time of year, U.S. officials reported Thursday.
So far, 18,506 cases of whooping cough have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the highest number at this time of the year since 2014, when cases exceeded 21,800.
This increase has not been unexpected, as whooping cough peaks every three to five years, health experts said. And the figures indicate a return to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, when cases of whooping cough and other contagious diseases decreased.
Still, these numbers have raised concerns among some state officials, such as in Wisconsin, where about 1,000 cases have been reported so far this year, compared to a total of 51 last year.
The CDC has reported that vaccination rates in child care settings declined last year nationally, and that vaccination exemptions are at an all-time high. State figures were released Thursday showing that about 86% of preschoolers in Wisconsin have been vaccinated against whooping cough, compared to more than 92% nationally.
Whooping cough, also called whooping cough, usually starts out like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, before turning into a prolonged cough. It is treated with antibiotics. Whooping cough used to be very common until a vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, which is now part of standard childhood vaccines. It is given as an injection along with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. The combination vaccine is recommended for adults every 10 years.
“They used to call it the 100-day cough because it literally lasts 100 days,” explains Joyce Knestrick, a family nurse practitioner in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Whooping cough mostly affects infants and young children, who can develop serious complications. That is why the vaccine is recommended during pregnancy, to transmit protection to the newborn, and to those who spend a lot of time with babies.
But public health workers warn that this year’s outbreaks are affecting older children and teenagers. In Pennsylvania, most outbreaks have occurred in middle schools, high schools and colleges, an official said. Almost all of the cases reported in Douglas County, Nebraska, are school-aged children and teenagers, said Justin Frederick, deputy director of the health department.
That includes his own teenage daughter.
“It is a horrible disease. “She still wakes up — after being treated with antibiotics — in a panic because she’s coughing so much 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 and treated with antibiotics early. People exposed to the bacteria can also take antibiotics to stop the spread.
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