Whooping Cough Outbreaks in Ontario and B.C.

Recent outbreaks of whooping cough in Huron County, Ontario and the Okanagan region of British Columbia have health officials urging adults to get immunized.  Pertussis is a contagious lung and airway infection which causes serious coughing fits and can last for weeks or even months.  If left untreated, the infection can prove fatal especially for very young children as well as vulnerable seniors who have not been fully immunized.

Children and adults over the age of 16 need a booster to protect against whooping cough.  A new, more effective vaccine was introduced in 1997 and many older adults have not received the updated shot.

In the United States, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of cases of pertussis. From 1970 until 2001 there were no more than 8,000 cases reported per year.  In 2014, over 28,000 cases were recorded, according to a report in the June 29, 2015 New York Times.   It is believed that some of the transmission may occur through people who carry disease but show no symptoms.  This finding, combined with anti-immunization movements and bacterium resistance to the new vaccine, may be responsible for the resurgence of whooping cough across North America.

If you suspect pertussis, stay isolated from others and seek treatment from a health care provider.  For more information about symptoms and treatment of whooping cough visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website at:   http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/vpd-mev/pertussis-eng.php.