More than 130 cases of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — were reported across Alaska in the first seven months of the year, with seven confirmed cases in Southeast in June and July.
The statewide case count is five times higher than the number of infections reported in all of 2023, according to an Aug. 5 alert issued by the Alaska Division of Public Health.
“Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause severe coughing fits and difficulty breathing, particularly dangerous for infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems,” Dr. Cate Buley, SEARHC’s chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement Aug. 12.
“Early diagnosis and vaccination are key to preventing the spread of this illness,” the doctor said.
SEARHC recommends that anyone experiencing symptoms such as persistent coughing or difficulty breathing seek medical care immediately.
“Additionally, it is important for individuals to ensure that their pertussis vaccination is up to date, as vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect against the disease,” the Southeast health care provider said.
SEARHC reported the seven Southeast cases as of Aug. 12. The Sentinel was unable to obtain an up-to-date number from SEARHC as of its publication deadline Aug. 19.
For a vaccination appointment, call the Wrangell Medical Center at 907-874-7000. For parents who want to track their children’s immunization records, or their own records, the state now offers a personal app called Docket that shows vaccination records. The app can be downloaded for free at https://docket.care.
“Over the past several months, we have seen an increase in the number of children who fell behind in their immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic coming into SEARHC clinics to get caught up on their vaccinations,” Lyndsey Y. Schaefer, communications director for SEARHC, said in an email last week.
“In the past week, we have seen a marked increase in the number of people inquiring about their tetanus and pertussis vaccination status due to concerns over the recent reports of pertussis outbreaks in Southeast Alaska,” Buley reported.
Babies are most vulnerable to pertussis, the state epidemiology section said in its alert. About a third of infected infants need to be hospitalized, and many can develop pneumonia, seizures and other complications, the bulletin said.
Alaska’s increase in pertussis comes as cases are rising nationally, reversing a sharp decline in cases experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Health precautions used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 likely prevented the spread of pertussis, the CDC said. Reported cases now are at a more “typical” level and close to the level reported in 2019, the CDC said.
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