Whooping cough cases increase in parts of Europe, Asia and the US

Whooping cough outbreaks have spread to parts of Europe, Asia, and the United States. northern california. Since last December, Whooping cough case This is particularly the case in the UK and Europe. This year's rise is symbolized by Biggest surge since 2012according to NBC News.

The situation in Europe continues to be alarming.According to Dutch News Agency, for example, in the Netherlands NOSThere were 1,800 cases of pertussis. report Including 50 of the most at-risk infants in the first two weeks of April.

And so far this year, the total number is 5,303, including 276 infants. Of the 276 infants, nearly half were hospitalized and four died. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment also reported this week a new death from pertussis in people over 80 years old.

The Dutch Institute said the number was “very high” compared to the previous year. For example, in 2023, there were a total of 2,842 pertussis cases throughout the year.

Dutch public health authorities have cited a decline in childhood vaccination coverage as a possible cause of the outbreak.public health officials Note If parents do not adequately vaccinate their children, the risk of infection increases.

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The Czech Republic has also recently been hit by .Rapidly increasing number of cases,” according to Barons. Health authorities announced earlier this week that the rapidly escalating outbreak in the region had already resulted in three deaths.

The country has registered 7,888 cases of the respiratory disease this year. Health authorities recorded 1,494 new cases last week alone, the highest weekly increase in 2024. At least 183 patients are currently hospitalized.

bloomberg news The number of whooping cough infections is rapidly increasing in China. 32,000 people in January and February Only 1,400 for all of 2023 and just 1,400 this year.

Whooping cough is A highly contagious respiratory disease that is spread through small droplets of saliva, mucus, and other substances from the surfaces of the respiratory tract. Whooping cough is highly contagious. Once the disease enters a household, up to 90% of its contacts can become infected.

This disease is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria attach to the cilia, or hair-like areas that line parts of the upper respiratory system.

UK Health and Safety Executive I will explain How the disease usually manifests. The initial symptoms of whooping cough are similar to a cold, but a characteristic “whooping cough” may develop after 1 to 2 weeks. This sound is made when a patient gasps for breath between coughs. Severe, uncontrollable coughing may last several minutes and may cause vomiting. Cough tends to be worse at night. Infants under 3 months of age who are not fully protected by vaccination are at the highest risk of developing serious complications.

This disease can inflame a young baby's bronchi, or airways, making it difficult to breathe. The most common complication of the infection is pneumonia, which can be fatal.

Before vaccines were introduced in the 1940s, 9,000 people According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, people die from pertussis every year in the United States. That number had declined to single digits by 1976, largely as a result of the massive vaccination campaign he began in the late 1940s.

And around the world, the number of people who died each year from pertussis was in the hundreds of thousands throughout the last century. As recently as 2002, whooping cough 294,000 people Researchers around the world point out in magazines emerging infectious diseases, with the largest proportion in Africa. By 2019, mass vaccinations led to a sharp decline in pertussis-related deaths. Approximately 120,000.

At this time, cases of whooping cough in the United States in 2024 are still relatively low, but recently cluster Detected in San Francisco area. As well as what is currently going on, measles outbreak The key to preventing or containing the spread of this vaccine-preventable disease is to ensure that parents do not withhold immunizations for their children. The more vaccine hesitancy increases, the more likely we are to see a resurgence of infectious diseases such as whooping cough, as we are witnessing today in Europe and Asia.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommendation to Parents begin a series of vaccines that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis at 2 months of age. This series includes four more shots for my 4 month old and her 6 month old, my 15-18 month old, and my 4 year old and 6 year old.