Will County sees spike in whooping cough cases

Will County — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that cases of the respiratory illness whooping cough have increased dramatically this year across the country and in Illinois.

Forty-two of those cases have been reported so far in Will County, Will County Health Department media services manager Kevin Juday said.

A year ago at this time, only two cases were reported in Will County, while no cases were found in the area in 2022 and 2021, according to the county health department.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, only 14 whooping cough cases were reported, and the current rate is about even with the 43 cases reported in all of 2019.

“The rise in whooping cough cases indicates we’re returning to pre-pandemic levels.”

—  Alpesh Patel, Will County Health Department chief epidemiologist

As of Oct. 12, the number of whooping cough infections – also known as pertussis – are five times higher in Illinois than they were at the same time in 2023 and 2022, according to the CDC.

Although COVID-19 precautions caused the number of whooping cough cases to decrease in 2020 and 2021, the number of cases so far this year has surpassed even the numbers reported in 2019.

In Illinois, more than 1,000 cases of the infection had been reported by Sept. 21, as opposed to the 230 that had been reported in 2022 by the same time.

The CDC also has reported that whooping cough cases tend to increase in the fall and winter months along with other respiratory infections including influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.

“Respiratory virus infections are on the rise year-over-year due to more travel and exposure,” Will County Health Department chief epidemiologist Alpesh Patel said. “The rise in whooping cough cases indicates we’re returning to pre-pandemic levels. Several theories explain this uptick. One is that the safety measures implemented during the pandemic – like masking and social distancing – reduced the spread of COVID-19 and curtailed the transmission of other respiratory viruses.”

Patel also suggested that decreasing vaccination rates coupled with improvements in testing were contributing to the increased numbers.

The Will County Health Department reiterated the advice of the CDC that the best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated.

“Whooping cough can affect people of all ages, but babies younger than 1 year old are at the greatest risk for getting whooping cough and having severe complications from it,” according to the department. “The CDC recommends whooping cough vaccinations for everyone. Much like any other respiratory illness, it’s important to always remember to practice good hygiene and stay home when sick.”

Symptoms

The CDC lists these conditions as symptoms of whooping cough:

Early symptoms – last one to two weeks

• Runny or stuffed-up nose
• Low-grade fever (less than 100.4 degrees)
• Mild, occasional cough

Later symptoms

• Rapid, violent and uncontrolled coughing fits that usually last one to six weeks but can last for up to 10 weeks. The cough generally gets worse and becomes more common as the illness continues.