El Paso health officials are reporting the highest number of whooping cough cases since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a statewide trend.
There were 23 pertussis cases identified in El Paso County through October this year, which is almost four times higher than at this time last year, according to the El Paso Department of Public Health’s latest notifiable conditions report. Statewide, more than 3,500 pertussis were cases reported, the highest in more than a decade and with the majority of infections occurring in children, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Whooping cough is a contagious disease that spreads through respiratory droplets. The disease got its name because people can develop a high-pitched “whoop” when they gasp after a coughing fit. Infants, who are particularly vulnerable, often don’t make the characteristic sound because they can’t cough as strongly. Instead they may gag, gasp, vomit, turn blue or have pauses in breathing…