An extraordinary surge in recent reports of cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, had indeed surfaced in a number of regions – mainly the United States and Europe – whose cases had declined during the COVID-19 pandemic period. CDC officials in the U.S. had so far reported over 18,500 cases of whooping cough as the start of this year 2024 just begins to indicate nearly a fivefold increase from the same time last year. This uptick marks the most cases reported at this time of year since 2014.
The situation in Europe is just as precarious. Confirmed by the health authorities, this is a big epidemic, “the worst there has been in 25 years.” As reported by Public Health France, nearly 35,000 lab-confirmed cases have been recorded, and it reports that 22 children, including 20 of them below the age of one year have died from the illness this year. The agency puts the figure for total cases seen by general practitioners as some 130,000, showing the very vast extent of the spread.
Another cough illness, pertussis also known as the 100-day cough, may begin as a minor cold that escalates into severe fits of coughing, which can last weeks. Infants are especially susceptible, especially if they are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, and may present with respiratory difficulties or a bluish color rather than the classical cough.
Experts say that vaccination remains the best prevention tool against pertussis. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control puts emphasis on immunization in pregnancy because it is a measure that safeguard newborns who are not vaccinated, being too young themselves to be vaccinated.
The CDC considers the present resurgence to be a return to pre-pandemic trends, since pertussis outbreaks normally go in a cycle of three to five years. A report from the Pasteur Institute in France indicated that the pandemic may have gone off and turned that cycle around to cause an “unprecedented resurgence” of cases this year. Researchers found some new strains that were resistant to the first-line antibiotics; thus, they have to be watched carefully.
Hence, the U.S. and Europe suffer the same extent of a strong swell in cases of whooping cough, thereby increasing very serious public health concerns. Authorities recommend heightened awareness as well as a greater drive for vaccination as a possible antidote to this preventable disease.
