Like other areas in southern Ontario, Huron Perth public health is seeing a spike in the number of cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in children across Huron and Perth counties.
While the health unit only recorded three cases of pertussis in 2022, this year there have been 21 confirmed cases of the highly contagious bacterial illness.
“The illness can be serious for infants younger than 12 months of age who are not vaccinated or who have not received all doses of the pertussis vaccine,” said Huron-Perth medical officer of health Dr. Miriam Klassen in a press release. “Young children have the highest risk for severe complications, such as hospitalization and death if they get sick.”
Symptoms usually develop within five to 10 days after exposure to someone who has pertussis. The illness begins with mild cold-like symptoms and may progress to severe coughing that can last for two weeks or longer. Some children will make a whoop sound, gag or vomit while coughing. Pertussis spreads easily through respiratory droplets when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks, or through direct contact with objects used by that person.
The health unit says vaccination is the best way to prevent pertussis. The pertussis vaccination is part of Ontario’s publicly funded vaccine schedule and is available through family doctors and public-health agencies. The vaccine is administered at two, four, six and 18 months of age, followed by booster doses at four to six and 14 to 16 years of age.
Health unit officials said delays in routine immunizations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may partly explain the increase in cases. Parents are encouraged to ensure their children stay up to date with routine immunizations. Anyone who is pregnant can receive a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis immunization to protect their baby from pertussis after they are born and before they can receive vaccines. The vaccine is estimated to protect roughly 90 per cent of infants less than three months in age if administered when their parent is pregnant.
The health unit asks anyone who may be sick to stay home except when seeking medical attention. Parents with children who have symptoms of pertussis should contact their primary-care provider as soon as possible and ensure their kids avoid contact with others, especially young children who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated against the illness. The health unit is also reminding area residents to wash their hands often, cough or sneeze into their elbows or a tissue, and clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces to prevent the spread of illnesses.