Cases of Whooping Cough on the Rise in Wisconsin

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 -- 3:00 PM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Cases of whooping cough are on the rise in Wisconsin, especially in the northeastern region.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, since the start of April, Brown County Public Health Department has investigated more than 65 cases and confirmed 11 cases of the bacterial disease.

The City of DePere’s Health Department has investigated 20 additional cases this year and confirmed two people with pertussis. It’s a major increase from last year, when Brown County only had one case of the disease.

Statewide, there have been 43 confirmed and probable cases of whooping cough as of the end of April, according to provisional data from the state Department of Health Services. By comparison, there were 51 cases in the state in 2023.

A DHS spokesperson said Minnesota is also experiencing an uptick and has already seen 54 cases this year. Brown County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Katrina Nordyke said the disease is not seasonal like influenza, but it does seems to become more active every few years.

Nordyke said this year, the county has seen some clusters of cases in area high schools. Whooping cough, known formally as pertussis, is a respiratory illness caused by a bacteria. The disease is most severe in infants and young children and is characterized by prolonged coughing that leaves patients gasping for air.

But Dr. Mary Beth Graham, infectious disease physician for the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, said the disease can also be fairly serious in older children and adults.

Graham said the normal vaccination schedule for children includes several shots to prevent pertussis before age 6 and a booster shot during the preteen years.

But she said after childhood, many young and middle-age adults don’t stay up to date on the vaccination, known as Tdap, even though it’s recommended every 10 years. The exception is people who are pregnant, who typically receive the shot in their third trimester.

In recent years, there have also been more children in the state who have not received recommended vaccinations like the one for pertussis. The lastest state data shows 10 percent of K-12 students in the 2022-23 school year did not meet minimum immunization requirements.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.