TORONTO – An ongoing outbreak of whooping cough cases in North America this year has health officials urging adults and kids to get vaccinated.
In the United States, nearly 18,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported this year so far-more than twice the number seen at this point last year. The country is now on track to have the worst national epidemic of whooping cough in more than 50 years.
In Canada, several parts of the country are also dealing with a severe outbreak of the disease, including southwestern Ontario, British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, southern Alberta and New Brunswick, where about 1,000 cases have been confirmed.
One to three Canadians die each year from whooping cough. Last month, one-month-old Harper Whitehead died at Alberta’s Children Hospital in Calgary from complications caused by whooping cough.
Experts believe whooping cough occurs in cycles and peaks every two to five years.
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious disease where bacterium lines the respiratory tract.
It leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath and in rare cases can be fatal. Click here to hear what whooping cough commonly sounds like.
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Whooping cough used to be a common threat, with hundreds of thousands of cases annually. Cases gradually dropped after a vaccine was introduced in the 1940s, and the disease came to be thought of as a relic of another age.
Who’s most at risk?
Children under six months of age have little, if any, immunity to the cough, but cannot be fully vaccinated against it until they are older.
In most cases, whooping cough occurs in children under five years of age. Experts believe that adults are a major source of infection to infants and advise adults who have not been immunized in the last five years and are in close regular contact with children to see their doctor about getting vaccinated.
Those with chronic illnesses and seniors are also most at risk.
How do I protect myself?
In Canada, infants are given the DPT (diphtheria – pertussis – tetanus) vaccine at two months, four months, and six months of age. This helps establish basic immunity. At 18 months and at four to six years of age, children are given a booster shoot which should cover them to about 14 to 16 years of age. At this age, children are given a new whooping cough vaccine, combined with the adult diphtheria – tetanus formulation.
Adults who are around kids should get a whooping cough booster shot so that they do not spread it to young children.
Is the vaccine 100 per cent effective?
No. As with most vaccines, the whooping cough vaccine’s ability to fend off infections wanes as years pass. In this current epidemic, experts are investigating whether the childhood shots and the booster offer inadequate lasting protection than previously thought.
What are the symptoms?
The illness typically starts with cold-like symptoms that include a runny nose, congestion, low-grade fever and a mild cough. Infants may have a pause in breathing, called apnea. Parents and guardians are advised to see a doctor if they or their children develop prolonged or severe coughing fits, vomiting and exhaustion.
What are the complications?
The risk of complications is highest in infants under one year old. Common complications include:
- Pneumonia
- Seizures
- Hemorrhages in the eye
- Loss of consciousness
- Other
Pertussis is spread through coughing or sneezing and can be treated with antibiotics if given in the early stages of the disease. Infants with whooping cough are often hospitalized, especially if under six months old.
-With files from Postmedia News
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