Of the 260 cases of whooping cough reported in Ontario this years, more than 100 have occurred in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph catchment area. Of those, 70 per cent were found in the Fergus-Elora area.
Pertussis, as it’s known by its medical name, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that involves an uncontrollable cough and is accompanied by thick mucous that produces the disturbing whooping sound in patients when they gasp for air at the end of a coughing fit. The intensity of the coughing can cause some to vomit.
There is an increase in the number of reported instances in the Waterloo Region, as public health officials have confirmed 17 cases of whooping cough in 2012. That is a substantial increase compared to just six recorded last year.
According to the region’s associate medical officer of health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the increase is just part of the cyclical disease and not an outbreak of the disease.
“As a natural phenomenon, pertussis does tend to fluctuate in cycles in terms of when there are more cases and when there are less,” said Wang.
The disease fluctuates in a three- to five-year cycle, she noted.
In 2006 there were 45 cases in the region. That figure steadily dropped to zero reported cases in 2010 and has begun to increase once again over the last two years.
“We are in a period where we are expecting pertussis numbers to be higher than they have been in the last few years,” said Wang. “Our local increase mirrors what is happening across the province.”
Whooping cough is easily prevented with vaccines at two, four, six and 18 months, and then again at ages four to six, and 14 to 16.
The illness can make it hard for youngsters to eat, drink and breathe. The bug is particularly dangerous for infants and could cause complications, including pneumonia, brain damage and seizures and can be fatal.
Wang says the booster is an especially important precaution for parents, daycare workers and babysitters as they can spread the disease to infants which can be fatal. Pertussis will cause a persistent and sometimes violent cough among adults for up to three months.
“When you take a look at the cases among the very young, the infants who are most likely to be severely affected, usually it is a transmission from a parent, grandparents or another adult that has not been immunized or received a booster shot,” Wang said. “They are the most frequent cause of passing it to small infants which can become very severely ill.”
There is complacency about getting immunization shots of pertussis and this can be blamed for the increase in whooping cough in the region.
“The vaccine was so successful in stamping out diseases that people became complacent because they had no direct experience with the illnesses,” said Wang.
“There is also a certain waning of immunity over time with pertussis immunization which is why it is important the people get the recommended boosters.”
Adults should get a booster shot for pertussis every 10 years. The cost is covered by OHIP.
