NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A spike in pertussis cases across the country is now the worst surge in almost a decade.
“Children under the age of one are most likely to suffer complications from pertussis or whooping cough, including apnea, which is absence of breathing and even death,” said Dr. Annie Williams, deputy district director for the Norfolk Health Department.
Pertussis is often called whooping cough because of the noise children often make as they struggle for air during a coughing fit.
On Thursday, the CDC reported more than 14,500 cases so far in 2024, four times the rate of the previous year. Virginia is reporting one of the biggest spikes — from 66 total in 2023 to nearly 400 already this year. That’s five times as many cases as compared to last year.
“It is concerning because groups are starting to congregate again,” Williams said.
“Just talking can put droplets in the air and cause infection.”
Symptoms vary and can be mild, with some people just having sniffles, so those numbers may be largely underestimated. There is also a long incubation period of 21 days.