Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is seeing a resurgence of cases in the United States at the fastest pace in nearly a decade. Coinciding with back-to-school season, the CDC reported 291 cases as of September 14. This year, 14,569 cases have been reported, more than four times higher than the number of infections reported by this time in 2023.
What is behind the dramatic rise in whooping cough cases, what are the symptoms and how can it be prevented or treated? Keep reading to find out.
What Is Whooping Cough?
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. After exposure to a contagious person, symptoms usually begin within a week.
The illness can last for weeks or even months, causing patients to suffer the notorious "whooping" as they struggle to breathe following intense coughing fits.
Why Is Whooping Cough on the Rise?
Experts attribute the rise in whooping cough cases to declining vaccination rates during the pandemic. Adults and their children largely avoided doctors' offices and opted for telemedicine appointments. That caused babies and kids to miss their normal vaccines, including the DTaP, which is given multiple times between 2 months and seven years old. It protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
How to Prevent Whooping Cough
According to physicians, many patients are still not up to date on their vaccines post-pandemic. The best prevention against whooping cough is to get your kids vaccinated with the DTaP on the recommended schedule. Pregnant women are advised to get the Tdap vaccine, the adult vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, between weeks 27 and 36 weeks for each pregnancy. The CDC recommends that adults 19 or older who have never gotten a dose of Tdap get one as soon as possible. After that, adults should get a Tdap shot every ten years as the pertussis protection can decrease.
The steady increase in whooping cough cases since the 1980s is directly connected to declining vaccinations in certain communities.
What Are the Symptoms of Whooping Cough?
Whooping cough symptoms can include:
- Blue lips, tongue or nail beds from lack of oxygen during coughing spells
- Fever
- Nasal discharge
- Sore, watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Violent, rapid cough
- “Whooping” sound upon forced inhalation following coughing spells
If you have these symptoms, it’s important to visit your doctor as soon as possible so you can get a diagnosis and start treatment. Early symptoms of whooping cough can mimic the common cold and other respiratory illnesses, so patients often don’t know to get tested until the “whoop” develops.
How to Treat Whooping Cough
Specific treatment for whooping cough will be determined by your doctor based on the following:
- Your overall health and medical history
- Severity of the condition
- Your tolerance for specific medications
- Expectations for the course of the condition
- Your preferences
Since pertussis is a bacterial infection, taking antibiotics is the first line of treatment. After five days of antibiotic therapy, the spread of infection to others decreases.
Hospitalization may be necessary for severe pertussis cases. Other treatments for whooping cough you can do at home may include:
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Eating small, frequent meals
- Reducing stimuli that may provoke coughing
- Staying warm
It's Not Too Late to Get Up to Date
If you're worried about missing some vaccines, it's not too late. Your provider can easily help you get up to date on the immunizations that are right for you and your family.
It’s important to remember that even healthy people need vaccines. They’re one of the easiest ways to reduce and prevent the risk of serious illness throughout your life and in our communities.
Find a physician at a location near you. You deserve to feel whole.
