WELLINGTON COUNTY – There have been 33 confirmed cases of whooping cough so far in Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph this year, according to the local public health authority.
In 2023, there was a total of 32 cases all year.
That compares with three in 2022, none in 2021, one in 2020, seven in 2019 and four in 2018.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious acute respiratory tract infection that spreads through airborne droplets.
Cold-like symptoms include a runny nose, sneezing, a low-grade fever, and a mild cough.
The infection often spreads at this stage, before the more onset of more recognizable symptoms.
The mild cough typically lasts for a week or two before progressing into bursts of rapid coughing, ending with a “whooping” sound that gives the infection its common name, according to Public Health Canada.
The coughing bursts can sometimes lead to vomiting.
Officials say this stage of the infection can last from two to eight weeks, with a gradual recovery.
But for young infants, who public health warns are at highest risk, symptoms can vary greatly with possible complications including pneumonia, atelectasis, seizures, encephalopathy, hernias and death.
“Complications in adults and adolescents include sleep disturbance, rib fractures, subconjunctival hemorrhages, rectal prolapse and urinary incontinence, all from intense and persistent coughing,” officials stated.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) associate medical doctor of health Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum said about 80 per cent of local seven and 17-year-olds were up to date for their pertussis vaccines during the 2022-23 school year.
That’s well above the provincial average of less than 60%, but less than local rates prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which were about 95% for seven-year-olds.
“In general, we have seen declines in coverage for many routine vaccines since the onset of the pandemic,” Tenenbaum said.
“This is possibly due to a combination of increased vaccine hesitancy, and disruptions to the health care system resulting in fewer opportunities for children to receive routine immunizations.”
Children typically receive five doses of pertussis vaccine before age six, Tenenbaum said.
According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) this series of doses is estimated to be about 90% effective in prevention.
But this protection wanes over time, Tenenbaum noted, “particularly when the time since the last dose exceeds about four years, at which point it’s less than 50% effective, according to a study from Ontario,” he said.
WDGPH recommends teenagers get a dose of the vaccine 10 years after their last childhood dose (typically age 14 to 16), and that adults get a dose about 10 years after their teenage dose.
Pertussis vaccines are also recommended for pregnant people during each pregnancy, he said, to promote “an increase in antibodies that are passed through the placenta and provide protection to the newborn following delivery.”
In addition to vaccination, Tenenbaum said, “Usual methods for [reducing the spread] of respiratory illnesses, like wearing a mask and staying home when sick, work for pertussis just like they do for other respiratory illnesses.”
