Agencies scramble as whooping cough returns to pre-pandemic levels
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans of rising whooping cough cases.
The incidence of whooping cough has reached its highest levels in the past decade, according to a news report from CNN. With about five times more cases than at the same point in 2023, the disease has been reported to have returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
Experts cited in the article explained that in the 1990s, the United States switched to a different type of vaccine that doesn’t cause as many severe side effects. They noted that although the more recent whooping cough vaccine offers effective initial protection, patients may be more susceptible to infection two to three years postvaccination. Mutations in the bacteria that cause whooping cough are suspected to allow it to evade immune responses generated by the vaccines.
In response to the rise in cases, the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee convened to discuss launching human challenge trials to determine the efficacy of the whooping cough vaccines. If these trials are approved, the FDA hopes they can lead to the development of a more durable vaccine against whooping cough.
At-risk patients, such as unvaccinated infants and adults, may experience more severe infections. Other vulnerable patients, like pregnant women, should receive whooping cough vaccines, and adults should receive boosters every 10 years.
The experts advised individuals to watch for symptoms of the disease, including a low-grade fever, runny nose, sneezing and cough that worsens to a full-body cough capable of causing vomiting or broken ribs. Although antibiotics can help treat the disease within the first weeks of infection, later diagnoses can only be managed with rest and hydration.
Read more: CNN
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