Washington has had a sharp rise this year in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The state reports that 1,303 cases have been reported statewide so far in 2024, as of Nov. 9. That’s a sharp increase compared to the same time frame in 2023, when there were 54 cases reported statewide, according to a weekly report by the Department of Health.
Pertussis has early symptoms similar to the common cold but can develop into violent coughing fits, breathing struggles and other complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Babies younger than a year old are at highest risk for developing life-threatening complications, including apnea (life-threatening pauses in breathing), pneumonia and in serious cases, convulsions and death.
According to a Department of Health announcement earlier this month, at least 28 people in Washington have been hospitalized including 12 infants under the age of 1. The highest rates of confirmed or probable cases have been among children younger than 1, and the highest number of cases have been among children between the ages of 1 and 4, according to the Department of Health’s weekly pertussis report. Counties with the highest rates of cases have been Whitman, Clark and Chelan.
People vaccinated for pertussis can avoid severe cases of whooping cough, the CDC reports. The vaccine wears off over time, so the CDC recommends boosters to maintain protection. Different types of the vaccine against pertussis are available at different ages, starting with a series at 2 months of age. The Washington Department of Health advises pregnant people to get the Tdap vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, to help protect their newborns who are too young to get vaccinated.
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