WATCH: There have been more whooping cough cases so far this year in the Halifax area than all of last year combined. Public health officials say residents need to take this seriously. Julia Wong reports.
HALIFAX – The number of whooping cough cases in the Halifax area so far this year is more than double the total number of cases in 2014.
Statistics from the Nova Scotia Health Authority provided to Global News show seven confirmed cases of whooping cough in the Central Zone last year; there have already been 15 confirmed cases in 2015. There were two cases in 2010, no cases in 2011 and three cases in 2012.
“It’s worrying,” said Dr. Robin Taylor, the medical officer of health (Central Zone) for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, formerly Capital Health.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes people to severely cough. It is spread through droplets, such as coughing or sneezing, and can be highly contagious.
Taylor said the number of cases can vary from year to year but she thinks there may also be another reason for the jump.
“I’m concerned adults may not realize that their booster shot for whooping cough has run out of protection for them and they probably need an update,” she said.
In Nova Scotia, children receive five doses of the whooping cough vaccination then get a booster in grade 7. Adults are then recommended to get another booster after the age of 18.
Taylor said, unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.
“I think we’re busy taking care of our family and our kids. It’s just not something on the top of our minds and often people don’t go to the doctor unless they’re sick.”
She said the number of whooping cough cases is concerning because of the direct threat it could have on babies.
“Whooping cough is really a horrible disease for infants to get. With children under the age of one, it’s much, much more severe. You can actually have deaths with babies when they get whooping cough.”
Dr. Frank Atherton, the province’s deputy chief medical officer of health, said there have so far been 29 cases of whooping cough provincially.
That is almost three times the number of cases in 2014, which was 10, and more than seven times the number of cases in 2013, which was four. There were 22 cases in Nova Scotia in 2012, three in 2011 and six in 2010.
Atherton said there is generally a variation in the number of cases every year in the province.
“What we believe we’re seeing this year, as we did indeed in 2012, is clusters of cases in families. Perhaps the kids are not properly vaccinated, not fully vaccinated for various reasons. That’s likely what we’re seeing here in Nova Scotia,” he said.
“What we’re not seeing is wide-scale community transmission in the general population.”
However he said residents need to take the situation seriously.
“We need to make sure folks are vaccinated, that their kids are vaccinated and that adults have also received their vaccinations, particularly pregnant women,” he said.
Atherton said he will keep a close eye on the situation but he expects the number of cases may follow a pattern.
Little awareness of adult booster shot
There were mixed responses amongst Halifax-area residents when Global News asked whether they had received their booster shot.
Courtney Murphy ensures her young son is up-to-date with his vaccinations. But it is a different story for her, particularly for the whooping cough booster shot.
“I honestly didn’t know there was a booster shot for whooping cough booster shot. I definitely know there is one for tetanus. I just didn’t know about the other one,” she said.
Christine Myatt said her children both have been vaccinated whooping cough but she has yet to get her booster shot.
Some residents did not know they had to get a booster shot.
“I didn’t even know there was such a thing,” William Crowdis said.
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