Officials see surge in whooping cough cases in region

A cluster of whooping cough cases among children in communities surrounding Saskatoon since October has led provincial health officials to issue warnings.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority said 24 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, were reported since Oct. 1 in Rosthern, Hague, Wakaw, Hepburn and Waldheim, affecting people under the age of 19. More than half involve children under the age of five. According to the SHA, the majority of the children are not up to date on their immunizations against pertussis.

Whooping cough is a communicable bacterial illness, notably characterized by the “whooping ” sound of the cough. The cough can persist for weeks among people in their early teens and among adults.

The effects are most dramatic in babies, prompting Dr. Volker Gerdts to call on parents to ensure their infants have been vaccinated against pertussis.

Gerdts is the associate director of research at VIDO -Intervac (Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization — International Vaccine Centre), located at the University of Saskatchewan. He said the illness can lead to extreme breathing difficulties in babies and bronchopneumonia. He said babies can die from severe complications, particularly when they are already weakened by extreme difficulty breathing.

Newborns are particularly vulnerable. They rely on antibody protection passed to them from their mothers through breast milk, which covers the child during the time it takes to develop its own immune response. Gerdts said it’s critical that babies are vaccinated, noting that the first vaccine for infants is offered when they are two months old.

“Over the last few years, we keep seeing these outbreaks, local outbreaks, here and there, and most of those are related to insufficient coverage, so not enough parents immunizing their babies,” he said.

Part of the problem is caused by parents allowing their children’s immunization to lapse and not keeping it up to date, but people are also choosing not to have their babies immunized. Access to vaccines could be an issue, but Gerdts noted the health authority has taken immunization services out into communities.

Ensuring that older people who are immediate caregivers and who could carry the illness are vaccinated would also protect babies from contracting whooping cough, Gerdts said.

The SHA is expected to provide an update Wednesday about ways people can protect themselves from contracting whooping cough.