Times of San Diego
November 29, 2023
By
Citing an increasing number of cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, county public health officials Wednesday urged San Diegans to get vaccinated, particularly those most at risk of becoming seriously ill.
According to county data, the number of pertussis illnesses jumped from 12 in September to 57 in October. Spikes in pertussis happen every three to five years, they said, and the last peak was in 2017. The current rise in illness reports is the first since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when COVID prevention steps also kept pertussis cases down, officials said.
“We’re seeing pertussis spreading in rates similar to before the pandemic,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. “This is concerning because we know that post-pandemic, many people are experiencing vaccine fatigue. Yet what we have learned over the last several years is that vaccines, hand washing, masking and other precautions help curb the spread of illness.”
Pregnant women and people who come into close contact with young infants are strongly urged to be vaccinated, a county statement read. Newborns are especially susceptible to pertussis since they are too young to be fully vaccinated. The last reported pertussis death in the county was a 5-week-old San Diego infant who died in July 2016.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. Antibiotics can lessen the severity of symptoms and prevent the spread of disease to others.
Read More at Times of San Diego.
