Whooping cough cases increasing across the U.S., CDC says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases of Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, are rising significantly across the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a significant increase in Whooping Cough cases across the United States, with nearly 5,000 reported cases this year, a three-times increase from the previous year. The bacterial illness, which affects the lungs and breathing tubes, can be life threatening for young children and the elderly. The rise in numbers has led to concern among doctors in the Mid-South. The CDC recommends the Pertussis vaccine for all babies, children, preteens and pregnant women, and older children and adults who have never received one should also receive it.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases of Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, are rising significantly across the United States.
Data shows there's been almost 5,000 reported cases this year, which is nearly three times higher than this time last year.
The national rise in numbers have caught the attention of doctors in the Mid-South.
"You don't want to go to the hospital. And we are both older, so we have to take care of ourselves," Betty Gayoso of Memphis said.
Betty and her husband Don Gayoso are taking precautions.
"Trying to watch where we go, watching people coughing around us," Don Gayoso said.
The bacterial illness affects the lungs and breathing tubes and causes bouts of coughing. It can be life threatening – especially for young children and the elderly.
"I think that folks forget that while some of these illnesses can be very mild, they can also be deadly," Dr. Nick Hysmith, the medical director of infection prevention at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital said.
Dr. Hysmith said symptoms are similar to the common cold. However, the cough can last for weeks or months. Rare complications include seizures, inflammation of the brain and death.
"I think any time your child is coughing so much that they can't catch their breath, it's a big warning sign," Hysmith said. "Sometimes they don't even have to make a noise. So little, tiny babies, a lot of times you'll just see them and they are sort of sitting there with their mouth open and not really making any noise, but not really breathing either."
As cases increase, Dr. Hysmith reminds parents of the importance of vaccination.
"As people get less familiar with the different viruses and the different illnesses, they start to believe that the vaccines aren't really doing anything because they didn't see the things in the community," he said. "That's when this vaccination hesitancy and rejection of vaccines begins to show up and we see those diseases come back up in the community."
The CDC recommends the Pertussis vaccine for all babies, children, preteens and pregnant women.
Babies and children younger than 7 get the DTaP, while older children and adults receive Tdap. Adults who have never received one should also get a Tdap.
Themen: CDC