Cases of a Victorian-era childhood disease are at record levels across the United States, and high school students are “super spreaders.”
Whooping cough has caused 16,000 infections so far this year, five times more than last year, and two deaths, according to CDC data.
The rise has been attributed to declining vaccination rates following the Covid pandemic – officials recommend all babies receive their first vaccine at two months of age.
Doctors in Minnesota, which recorded 100 cases last week, say high school students whose vaccines have disappeared and have not received the booster could be transmitting the disease to their younger siblings, fueling the outbreak.
Health officials have warned that whooping cough, which is extremely dangerous for young children and teenagers, is on the rise across the country (file image)
The map above from the Minnesota Department of Health shows the cluster where an increase in whooping cough cases is located. Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, recorded the most cases with 376.
The Minnesota Department of Health told the local news station. KSTP: ‘MN is seeing a significant burden in high school-aged children, which is consistent with the timing of adolescent pertussis vaccination beginning to taper off.
“With case numbers this high, it’s really important for people to make sure they are up to date on their pertussis vaccines, get tested and treated early for their cough illness, and stay home while they are contagious.” .
The CDC recommends that babies receive the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine at two, four, six, and 15 to 18 months of age.
It is also recommended that children four to six years old receive the vaccine.
The agency says preteens ages 11 to 12 should also get vaccinated against whooping cough, and the vaccine is recommended every 10 years afterward.
The Tdap vaccine is 98 percent effective in children within one year of their last dose. In adolescents, the vaccine is 73 percent effective in the first year and 34 percent effective four years after vaccination.
But there are fewer who achieve it.
The most recent data from the CDC shows that in the 2021 to 2022 school year, pertussis vaccination rates among kindergartners fell from 95 percent the previous year to 93 percent.
While that might seem like a small drop, researchers warn that even small drops in absorption allow the ultra-infectious virus to spread.
Whooping cough occurs when bacteria attach to small hairs in the throat and nose and release toxins that cause inflammation of the airways.
At first, this may cause mild symptoms such as a runny nose or mild cough, but it can progress to a cough so violent that it leads many patients to vomit and develop breathing problems.
Dr. Liz Placzek, a pediatrician and medical director at Children’s Minnesota West St Paul, told KSTP: “Usually, (whooping cough) starts as a cold virus. We see runny nose, we see cough, maybe fever .
“Those symptoms may improve a little bit, but then we see this cough, this deep, persistent cough that goes on and on.”
According to the latest data from the CDC, 15,661 cases of whooping cough have been reported so far this year, compared to 3,635 at this time last year.
Before the introduction of the pertussis vaccine in 1948, up to 250,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States each year. Cases have consistently stopped by more than 90 percent each year compared to the pre-vaccine era, the CDC says.
The lowest reported rate of whooping cough was recorded in 1976, when the United States recorded only 1,010 cases.
Health officials warned that it is initially difficult to differentiate the infection from a cold, as the first signs are a runny nose and sore throat. But about a week later, patients may develop coughing fits that last minutes, have difficulty breathing after coughing, and make a “screaming” sound between coughs.
Polly Deehy (pictured left in hospital), from the UK, had to remain in a coma for 10 days after suffering from whooping cough. And at just one month old, Rosie Robin from the UK (pictured right) was hospitalized for two weeks with the illness.
Spike (who left with his parents), a 16-year-old British boy, contracted whooping cough at just 11 days old, when he was too young to be vaccinated. Despite a miraculous recovery as a baby (right), he was left with permanent brain damage
Minnesota has seen 1,019 cases so far this year, a nearly 17-fold increase from 2023.
According to health department data, all cases are concentrated in the southeastern part of the state.
Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, had the highest number of cases with 376. Wright County, directly northwest of Hennepin County, had 106.
Southwest of Hennepin County, in Carver County, 95 cases have been reported so far this year.
Dr. Placzek said the increase could be because vaccines are disappearing among high school students who received them as children. The Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine lasts for 10 years, after which the CDC recommends getting a booster.
She said: “It’s not lifelong immunity.”
More parents may also choose not to vaccinate their children due to vaccine hesitancy in the pandemic era.
The CDC has also noted that the bacteria that causes whooping cough, Bordetella pertussis, is prone to mutations, which could allow it to evade vaccines.