Whooping Cough Cases Increase In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — County health officials Wednesday urged residents to get vaccinated against pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, as cases climb in San Diego County.

The number of pertussis illnesses increased from 12 in September to 57 in October, according to county data.

Spikes in pertussis happen every three to five years, county health officials said. The last peak was in 2017. The current rise in illness reports is the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when COVID prevention steps also kept whooping cough down.

"We're seeing pertussis spreading in rates similar to before the pandemic," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. "This is concerning because we know that post-pandemic, many people are experiencing vaccine fatigue. Yet what we have learned over the last several years is that vaccines, hand washing, masking and other precautions help curb the spread of illness."

Health officials strongly urge pregnant women and people who come into close contact with young infants to get vaccinated. Newborns are especially susceptible to whooping cough since they are too young to be fully vaccinated. The last reported pertussis death in the county was a 5-week-old San Diego infant who died in July 2016.

A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. Antibiotics can lessen the severity of symptoms and prevent the spread of disease to others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following schedule for the Tdap vaccination that helps protect people from pertussis:

• A Tdap booster is recommended for pregnant women early in their third trimester and during each pregnancy to protect their newborns.
• Young children need five DTaP doses by kindergarten: at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years.
• After that, the first Tdap booster is due at age 11. All students entering seventh grade are required to have proof of a whooping cough booster immunization.
• One dose of Tdap is recommended for adults 19 years of age and older who did not get Tdap as a teenager.
• After that, getting Tdap instead of the standard tetanus shot every 10 years will also reduce infections.

Parents can obtain the DTaP vaccine series and the Tdap booster shot for their children and themselves through their primary care physicians, according to the county. Local retail pharmacies offer vaccinations for a fee, and anyone who is not covered by a medical insurance plan can get the shot from a County Public Health Center at minimal or no cost.