03-05-2025
Two bacterial infections spiking in U.S., one appearing in Hampton Roads
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Two bacterial infections are now among the list of illnesses spiking in the U.S. in the thick of a measles outbreak. Eyes in the medical industry are also laser-focused on an invasive group of A streptococcus and whooping cough.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning that the form of strep is on the rise, with numbers doubling in the U.S. Meantime, whooping cough cases are popping up at a rate four times faster than the previous year. Both are very different infections, but they do have a few commonalities, starting with how they spread through respiratory droplets.
Sentara Health Urgent Care Physician Assistant Keshia Brown points to the increase of both infections to the end of COVID-19 mitigation regulations, less social distancing and a lax effort on overall hygiene.
'We're seeing a resurgence, as well as just the decrease in the amount of vaccinations,' she said. 'And then people who are vaccinated, they have a waning immunity, so those things can affect the amount of bacteria that develop.'
Virginia accounts for nearly 800 of the 35,000 whooping cough cases circulating in the country in 2024, per the . On the other side of the fence, a lethal group of A strep cases totaled 667, a vast difference from just 293 cases in 2022, according to the .
'They're both caused by bacteria,' Brown said. 'But strep, of course, can present differently than whooping cough. Generally with strep, you don't have a cough. And most people have a fever, a sore throat. They can see pus pockets on their tonsils. But then with whooping cough, they can generate a cough that becomes a weeping-like cough … and they just present very differently.'
Both infections can become life-threatening if left untreated. Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia and other complications. While the invasive group of A strep could worsen to kidney disease or toxic shock syndrome, which can be fatal.
Brown said currently, Sentara Health Urgent Care is seeing a rise locally in strep cases, but not whooping cough at this time.
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