Whooping cough in the US reaches its highest level in a decade

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, USA —

Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade this time of year, U.S. officials report.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 18,506 reported cases of whooping cough to date. This is the highest number at this time of year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.

The increase was not unexpected since whooping cough peaks every three to five years, health experts said. And the numbers point to a return to pre-pandemic coronavirus levels, when cases of whooping cough and other contagious diseases fell.

Still, the numbers have raised concerns among some state officials, such as in Wisconsin, which has reported about 1,000 cases this year, up from 51 last year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that vaccination rates in child care settings fell across the country last year, and vaccine exemptions are at an all-time high. Statewide data was released Thursday showing that about 86% of Wisconsin preschoolers have been vaccinated against whooping cough, compared with more than 92% nationally.

Whooping cough, also called whooping cough, usually starts out like a cold, with a runny nose and other general symptoms, and then progresses to a long-lasting cough. 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 the 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 most often affects infants and young children, who can develop serious complications. This is why the vaccine is recommended during pregnancy to pass on protection to the newborn and those who spend a lot of time with babies.

But public health officials warn that this year’s outbreaks are affecting older children and teenagers. In Pennsylvania, the majority of outbreaks have occurred in high schools, high schools and colleges, the official said. Nearly all of the cases reported in Douglas County, Nebraska, have been among school-age children and teenagers, said Justin Frederick, deputy director of the health department.

Including his own teenage daughter.

“This is a terrible disease. “She still wakes up from the antibiotics panicking because she’s coughing so much she can’t breathe,” he said.

Dr. Chris Bryant, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, says it’s important to get tested and begin treatment with antibiotics as soon as possible. People exposed to the bacteria can also take antibiotics to stop the spread.