Doctors in the Bay Area are warning about an increase in cases of whooping cough. In some areas, the number of cases is at its highest level in ten years.
Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a bacterial illness that causes people to cough very hard, which can make them throw up or even break their ribs. Though it’s sometimes called the “hundred-day cough,” coughing fits can last up to three months.
For babies and very young kids, the sickness can be life-threatening because coughing fits can make it hard to breathe. Most kids get vaccine when they are about two months old, but this fall, there have been more cases among older kids and teens, even among those who have been vaccinated.
This year there have been 115 cases in Contra Costa County, up from 16 the year before. There have been 55 cases in Santa Clara County so far this year, up from eight last year, and 350 cases in Marin County so far this year, up from 17 last year.
There were 172 cases of whooping cough in Santa Clara County in 2019. San Diego County has the most cases in the state—470 as of September 30. 2014 was the last year that more than 100 people in Contra Costa County got whooping cough.
“This is part of a trend across the state and the country,” said Dr. Sharon Mowat, a doctor at Kaiser. “We’re seeing an uptick, mostly in teenagers.” She said that the signs can look like a stuffy nose and a cough that won’t go away, which makes it hard to spot. “It is difficult to know the difference between your regular old viral cough and whooping cough.”
The biggest difference is that a person with pertussis has a cough that won’t go away and lasts for a long time. It is caused by bacteria and should be treated with antibiotics to avoid getting bronchitis or pneumonia.
This year, 84 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Alameda County. In October alone, those numbers doubled. A lot of these were in kids between the ages of 14 and 18.
Families at 15 schools in Alameda County have been sent exposure alerts to let them know that their children may be exposed in the classrooms. Austin Wingate, a public information officer for Alameda County Public Health, said, “Recent cases of pertussis have been among high school students.
However, it is important to remember that pregnant women and babies who get pertussis are more likely to have serious complications like hospitalizations or death.” “We would strongly recommend all pregnant persons receive the Tdap vaccination the third trimester to protect newborns before they can be immunized,” he added.
U.S. health experts said in October that the number of people who have whooping cough across the country is at its highest level for this time of year in ten years.
Health experts say that the number of cases of whooping cough peaks every three to five years, so the rise is not a surprise. And the numbers show that things are back to how they were before the coronavirus pandemic, when cases of whooping cough and other dangerous diseases dropped sharply.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer kids got vaccinated for school last year, and the number of kids who don’t get vaccinated is at an all-time high.
Before the vaccine came out in the 1950s, whooping cough was very widespread. Now, kids get vaccinated against it every year. It is given as a shot with the diphtheria and tetanus shots. Every 10 years, people should get the combo shot.
Doctors stress how important it is for babies to get vaccinations when they can, which is at two months old. Because pertussis is so infectious, if one person in the family tests positive, antibiotics are usually given to everyone in the house to stop the disease from spreading.
