Whooping cough causes record level in ten years

By Devi Shastri
AP Health Editor

MILWAUKEE — Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade at this time of year, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

So far, 18,506 cases of whooping cough have been reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. This is the highest figure at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.

The increase is not unexpected: Whooping cough peaks every three to five years, according to health experts. And the numbers indicate a return to levels before the coronavirus pandemic, when whooping cough and other contagious diseases collapsed.

Still, the tally worries some state health officials, including those in Wisconsin, where there have been about 1,000 cases so far this year, compared to a total of 51 last year.

Nationally, the CDC reported that vaccination rates in preschools declined last year and vaccine exemptions are at a low level. a record level. On Thursday, he released state figures showing that about 86% of Wisconsin kindergartners have received the whooping cough vaccine, compared to more than 92% nationally.

Whooping cough, also called whooping cough, usually begins like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, before progressing to a prolonged cough. She is treated with antibiotics. Whooping cough was very common until the introduction of a vaccine in the 1950s, which is now part of routine childhood vaccinations. It is administered with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. The combo shot is recommended for adults every 10 years.

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“They called it the 100-day cough because it literally lasts 100 days,” said Joyce Knestrick, a family nurse practitioner in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Whooping cough usually affects infants and young children, who can develop serious complications. This is why the vaccine is recommended during pregnancy, to provide protection to the newborn and those who spend a lot of time with infants.

But public health workers say this year’s outbreaks are affecting older children and adolescents. In Pennsylvania, most outbreaks have been at middle schools, high schools and universities, an official said. Nearly all of the cases in Douglas County, Nebraska, are among schoolchildren and teenagers, said Justin Frederick, deputy director of the health department.

This includes his own teenage daughter.

“It’s a horrible disease. She always wakes up – after being treated with her antibiotics – panicked because she’s coughing so much she can’t breathe,” he said.

It’s important to get tested and treated with antibiotics as soon as possible, said Dr. Kris Bryant, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky. People exposed to the bacteria can also take antibiotics to stop the spread.

“Whooping cough is worth avoiding,” Bryant said. “The good news is that we have safe and effective vaccines. »