Latest news with #Pertussis
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pasadena resident tests positive for whooping cough after Kidspace Children's Museum visit
A Pasadena resident tested positive for whooping cough after visiting the Kidspace Children's Museum in late April, according to public health staff. The resident visited the museum between 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, April 25. The Pasadena Public Health Department advised families who visited the Kidspace Children's Museum during that time frame to monitor for symptoms for up to 21 days and to be wary of increased coughing severity or breathing issues, especially in young children or infants. PPHD staff said early signs of whooping cough resemble symptoms of a cold, mainly sneezing, runny nose, and a mild cough. It is typically accompanied by a low-grade fever, less than 100.4 degrees, with the cough worsening over one to two weeks. Severe coughing may cause gasping, vomiting or trouble breathing. Infants may not develop a cough but could turn red or blue, gag or stop breathing. Residents who visited Kidspace during the time frame should contact their healthcare provider if anyone in their household develops a persistent cough or cold symptoms. Anyone who becomes sick should stay at home until cleared by a doctor or after five days of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Babies and pregnant women should avoid contact with sick people. Infants, pregnant women and caregivers of infants are considered high-risk contacts and may need preventative antibiotics even if they do not show symptoms. PPHD staff recommends that children, pregnant women and caregivers are up-to-date on their Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis vaccines. Kids who are either 11 or 12 years old and pregnant women should also receive their boosters. Pasadena offers vaccinations from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Monday and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pertussis cases remain stable, but elevated across Virginia, United States
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — While the height of respiratory disease season has come and gone, cases of Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, remain stable but elevated. 'Last year, right around this time we saw a big spike in cases within the community,' said Jason Deese, an epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health. He works out of the New River Health District office and says his team investigates several cases of Pertussis each week, despite being located in a place he says has high vaccination rates. According to the CDC, there have already been 207 reported cases in Virginia and 8,472 nationwide. At this time in 2024, those numbers sat at 78 and 4,252 respectively. Elevated numbers to begin 2025 are carrying on the spike that began in spring 2024 that Deese was referring to. Virginia reported just 120 cases across 2023 before watching that number soar to 788 in 2024. A similar trend was reflected nationally, when the number jumped from 7,063 U.S. cases in 2023 to 35,435 in 2024. Whooping cough spreading in Tijuana with 40 cases detected this week Deese said it is not uncommon to see a spike in cases every three-to-five years, but believes the elevation we are experiencing right now could be tied at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I think with a lot of what went on during the [COVID-19] pandemic, there was less diagnosis of pertussis but possibly also a little less transmission,' he said. Deese believes natural immunity to pertussis was lowered over the past several years, rendering people more susceptible to contracting it now. He also noted that as a contagious respiratory illness, pertussis is not limited to one season or one demographic. 'We've been seeing it in all age groups, to be quite honest with you. In children all the way up to elderly folks,' Deese said. The Virginia Department of Health says that getting vaccinated and receiving regular booster shots are the best way to protect against the disease. They advise that if you do get sick, you stay home, seek medical attention, and get a diagnosis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Allegheny County whooping cough cases rose to high levels in 2024
Cases of Pertussis, or whooping cough, spiked on the state and national level last year, and Allegheny County's newly released data shows the county was hit hard. According to preliminary data posted on the health department's updated infectious disease dashboard, Allegheny County saw 338 whooping cough cases in 2024, a more than 47,000% spike from 2023, which only had 7 cases. "With whooping cough, we tend to see cyclical increases. And so, we're seeing a bit of a return to pre-pandemic rates," said Dr. Barbara Nightingale, Deputy Director for Clinical Services at the Allegheny County Health Department. Dr. Nightingale said they're seeing good rates of vaccinations overall, but protection from the pertussis vaccine does dwindle over time. "There do tend to be years where you see higher rates of it related to immunity that decreases over time," she said. Whooping cough is characterized by violent or prolonged coughing, and it's really contagious. "It's definitely something we should take seriously. It can cause very severe complications if you do get infected with it. We see particularly in young babies, it can be very dangerous, causing hospitalizations and even causing babies to get complications that they can die from," Nightingale said. She said the challenge with this bacterial infection is that it looks the same as many common viruses at first. "In the first few weeks of having it, you may not recognize that your child has it or that you as an adult have it. Really one of the distinguishing features is that it lasts a lot longer. So if you have a cough that's lasting for more than two weeks, that would be a sign that you need to see a healthcare provider," Nightingale said. Allegheny County is still seeing whooping cough cases, but they are dropping. Eighteen cases have been reported in the county so far in 2025. "The most important thing you can do is get vaccinated to help prevent getting whooping cough to begin with. So, children should be following their healthcare provider's recommendation for getting them. There are multiple series that you need to get. As well as pregnant people can get the vaccine and I highly encourage it to help prevent whooping cough in their baby because they won't have immunity to it yet," said Dr. Nightingale. The Pennsylvania Health Department said 2,735 pertussis cases were reported in the state last year, while there were 402 cases in 2023. And so far, this year, 153 cases have been reported in Pennsylvania. The number of cases is provisional, meaning they can still be updated.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mobile County health officials see rise of whooping cough cases
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The Mobile County Health Department has seen an increase in whooping cough cases this month especially in schools. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious respiratory disease that causes severe coughing fits. Jim Nagy hired as general manager for football at University of Oklahoma 'It's a bacterial infection that is spread by droplets from person to person,' Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Michaels said. 'And we have a very good vaccine that prevents it.' The Mobile County Public School System sent a letter to parents on Tuesday about whooping cough cases reported at Dixon Elementary School in Irvington, Alabama. 'I applaud what the school has taken, telling parents, 'Hey, you need to do the right thing, get your child evaluated,'' Dr. Michaels said. Dr. Michaels told that 15 whooping cough cases were reported in the county in 2024. On Feb. 14, the MCHD reported 12 cases of whooping cough. Two weeks later, that number has doubled to 24 cases in Mobile. Dr. Michaels recommended that the public get the Pertussis vaccine to protect against the illness. 'Pertussis is infectious, and it causes complications,' Dr. Michaels said. 'You know, I want people to be empowered to do the right thing, to take care of their loved ones.' 'So, getting vaccinated is a great thing to do,' he continued. Spring Hill College president says low enrollment, budget cuts led to dropped majors Dr. Michaels said the vaccine can also prevent life-threatening complications. 'Giving it to a newborn could be a significant showstopper and could result in death,' Dr. Michaels said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
23-02-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Elimination of nonmedical exemptions have improved Maine's childhood vaccination rates
Under state law, all kindergarten students in a public or private elementary school must have the following vaccines: Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus (DTaP), Poliomyelitis, Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR) and Varicella (VAR). Advertisement In 2019, Maine passed a law that eliminated religious and philosophical exemptions in response to Bangor Daily News . Since then, annual vaccination data shows that exemption rates have dropped across the board for the four required vaccinations. The exemption rate for the polio vaccine dropped from 5 percent in 2019-20 to 0.6 percent last year. Before the law went into effect, Maine had one of the highest opt-out rates in the country: it was A student who isn't vaccinated can still be enrolled in school under certain conditions: a parent or guardian provides written assurance the student will be vaccinated within 90 days; a licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant provides a written statement noting that immunization may be medically inadvisable; or students have an individualized education program that began before September 2021 that included a philosophical or religious exemption. Last year, 19 schools had kindergarten exemption rates above 5 percent (it's worth noting that in some of these schools class sizes are quite small). Advertisement Ashwood Waldorf School, in Rockport, had the highest vaccine exemption rate for kindergartners last year at 33 percent – four out of 12 students. Jeremy Clough, school director, said all four of the exemptions last year were temporary and at least two of the students are now caught up on their vaccines. These temporary medical exemptions often apply to new students who were previously homeschooled and are behind on their vaccinations. Clough said most of the conversations he's had with families about vaccines involve explaining the law. 'There's really no pushback that the families can have because it's like, 'Here's the law and … you either need to be caught up or you need to talk to your health care provider,' " he said. He said it's helpful that there's no gray area in the law. 'We're not doctors,' he said. 'I feel like we have no idea what is appropriate medically for anyone. What we know how to do is educate children. So yes, I think it is helpful to have something that's very clear.' Jay Corbin, teaching principal of Penobscot Community School, agreed that the law makes conversations more straightforward. He said there wasn't much resistance from families when the nonmedical exemptions were eliminated and he doesn't anticipate more pushback going forward. Penobscot Community School had among the highest exemption rates last year at 14 percent, but that was due to one exemption out of seven kindergartners. Corbin said the school has historically had high vaccination rates. The county with the highest exemption rate for kindergartners last year was Piscataquis County at 3.7 percent. Sue Mackey Andrews, who was a national consultant to health and education departments for 25 years and now is active in public health efforts in Dover-Foxcroft that include childhood vaccine initiatives, said she was surprised the exemption rate wasn't even higher in her county because Piscataquis has historically had low vaccination rates. Advertisement One factor Mackey Andrews pointed to is the lack of access to health care. The closest pediatrician may be in Bangor, which could make it hard to keep kids up-to-date with their vaccines. She said she has also seen the In the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mackey Andrews said there's been a 'dramatic increase' in homeschooled families in the region. 'I suspect that some of it, at least, is vaccine related,' she said. Mackey Andrews said she would urge people who have concerns about vaccines to listen to their doctors and ask questions. 'That's a lifelong, perhaps critical, decision that you're making,' she said.
