Health officials in Michigan are warning people that there are more cases of pertussis, which is also known as whooping cough.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has tracked 830 confirmed or likely cases so far this year as of October 28. Every year from 2017 to 2019, 596 people in the state got whopping cough on average.
MDHHS says that the first signs of pertussis can look like the common cold, and they can show up five to ten days after being exposed.
Babies and kids may not cough, but they may have breathing stops that can make their skin look blue or make it hard for them to breathe. Later symptoms include coughing fits that you can’t stop.
Most people who get pertussis are under 18 years old (75% of all cases). The median age of those who get it is 13. A severe case of pertussis can make people of all ages very sick, but babies are more likely to get very sick and even die.
“Vaccinations are still the best way to stop the spread of pertussis,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the company’s chief medical officer.
“Unfortunately, the number of people getting vaccinated is going down, so pertussis and other diseases that can be prevented with vaccines are becoming more common across the state.” Michiganders should make sure they stay up to date on their immunization schedule.
The CDC says that babies, kids, teens, and women who are pregnant should get the whooping cough vaccine. Adults who haven’t had a dose as a child or adult should also get it.
On the other hand, only 65.6% of 19-month-olds got all four doses of the Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, even though 82.9% of children have had their first dose by the time they are three months old.
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