Whooping Cough Cases Have Tripled in the U.S. 

Cases of whooping cough — commonly known as whooping cough — have tripled in the United States this year.

At this time last year, there were 2,918 diagnosed cases of the respiratory illness, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control.

However, there have been 10,865 cases of whooping cough this year, with 1,571 cases reported in Pennsylvania alone.

It’s a “highly contagious respiratory tract infection,” the Mayo Clinic explains, adding that it got its nickname because many patients are “marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched inhalation that sounds like ‘whoah.'” ”

A picture of someone coughing.

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It can take up to ten days before symptoms start to appear, the Mayo Clinic explains, and along with the telltale cough, those with pertussis can develop cold-like symptoms like runny nose, stuffy nose, red, watery eyes and fever.

Covid-era masks and isolation practices have helped reduce whooping cough cases, but the CDC notes that this level of infection is now at “pre-pandemic levels.” The CDC urges everyone to be up-to-date on their vaccinations — especially children, since younger children are at the highest risk for a severe outcome from whooping cough.

Treatment usually consists of antibiotics, the CDC says, but it warns that newborns should be monitored for “serious side effects” if given antibiotics to fight whooping cough.

However, “the risk of developing serious whooping cough and life-threatening complications outweighs the potential risk” of complications caused by antibiotics.

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Whooping cough is part of the DTaP vaccine — which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus, which children usually receive before age 7. The CDC says that getting vaccinated during pregnancy “helps protect your baby from whooping cough in the first few months of life.”

After age 7, the CDC recommends a Tdap booster for people who are not fully vaccinated.

Picture of a child receiving the DTaP vaccine.

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“In younger children, especially in infants, they can have apnea, so they stop breathing. They can be hospitalized in the intensive care unit, and unfortunately children can also die from whooping cough,” Dr. Robert Frenck, professor of pediatrics in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, he told ABC News.

“So these are not harmless infections. They can be very serious and they can be fatal.”

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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education