Oregon reports surge in whooping cough cases, urges prevention measures

Whooping cough is once again spreading in Oregon, with 178 cases reported so far in nine counties.

This is a common bacterial disease that is mild for most people who have been vaccinated.

However, pregnant women and families with infants who have not yet been fully vaccinated should take extra precautions, as the disease can cause severe, potentially fatal, illness in infants under six months of age.

To date, 16 infant cases have been reported in the state.

In Oregon, the number of whooping cough cases hit an all-time low during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as mask-wearing and other measures reduced infections of Bordetella pertussis, the bacteria that causes whooping cough. The decline in infections has weakened the population's overall immunity.

“We've seen an explosion in cases over the last month as more people become susceptible to infection,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, Oregon's infectious disease chief. It's too early to say whether this year's outbreak will be larger than normal, he said.

Lane County has the most reported cases to date with 64, followed by Multnomah (41), Clackamas (33), Deschutes (15), Washington (13) and Jefferson (8). Most of the reported cases are in children. The actual number of cases is probably much higher because many people with whooping cough have mild symptoms and do not seek medical attention.

Antibiotics are effective against whooping cough, but they have a drawback: They only work if given early in the illness, but the early symptoms of whooping cough — sneezing, runny nose and sore throat — can be hard to distinguish from allergies or a common virus.

More distinctive symptoms include a whooshing cough, severe coughing, especially at night, and coughing so severe that it can cause vomiting.

“By the time it gets bad enough that you go to the doctor and get tested, it's usually too late to treat,” Cieslak says. “It's completely pointless to try to give antibiotics to everyone who gets whooping cough.”

In 2006, the public health strategy against whooping cough changed dramatically from a “search and destroy” approach focused on stopping as many cases as possible to a targeted approach focused on protecting infants.

Cieslak said most families with suspected whooping cough don't need to seek out antibiotics unless there's a baby in the home.

“When a case is reported to Public Health, the first thing we ask is if you live in a household with infants. If the answer is yes, everyone gets antibiotics.”

If you don't have an infant, you can check with your doctor to see if antibiotics are appropriate.

Vaccination is another important way we protect all Oregonians, including our youngest residents.

Children are usually given a vaccine containing pertussis protection every two months until they are six months old, then again during toddler years and finally around age four or five.

Pregnant women can also protect their babies before two months of age by getting the vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Antibodies made by the mother cross the placenta and protect the baby during the first few weeks of life.

The vaccine is safe with minimal side effects, the most common being a sore arm. The only known serious side effect is if you have an allergy to one of the vaccine's ingredients, but that's rare, Seysulak said. Millions of pregnant women have received the vaccine since the CDC began recommending it in 2012.

Of the 16 infant cases reported in Oregon so far in 2024, only one involved a mother who was documented to have been vaccinated during pregnancy.

Last year in Oregon, 8.8% of kindergartners were not up to date on vaccinations and did not have a medical exemption.

Oregon is Near the bottom We rank among the best of all 50 states when it comes to protecting children from preventable diseases.