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Oregon is reported to have 835 confirmed cases and at least one adult death caused by pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
As of Oct. 14, Lane County had 251 cases, the most in the state. Multnomah County came in second with 183. Cases have been reported in Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Yamhill, Polk, Columbia, and Deschutes counties.
Oregon Health Authority recommends Oregonians get vaccinated against whooping cough to protect themselves amid the surge. The median age of cases is 11, with a range between five weeks and 89 years old.
Health officials are alarmed and expect the state to beat the 2012 record of 910 whooping cases recorded, which was the highest annual count since 1953.
OHA said babies too young to be fully vaccinated suffer the most from pertussis. According to the CDC, infants may experience difficulty breathing instead of coughing.
Babies have the highest reported incidence rate and highest likelihood of hospitalization and death.
“This is because babies don’t start building protection against infection until they are vaccinated at two months old,” an OHApress releasestated. Before this year, Oregon pertussis deaths have been limited to infants — five have occurred since 2003.
Public health experts urge pregnant people to get the Tdap vaccine to protect against tetanus, diphtheria (serious bacterial infection of the nose) and pertussis. Getting vaccinated while pregnant can lower the risk of pertussis in babies younger than two months by 78% to 91%.
“Children should receive the DTaP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis at 2, 4, 6 and 15 to 18 months, and again at age 4 to kindergarten age. All persons 10 and older, including those 65 and older, who have not had the single-dose Tdap vaccine should get it now,” according to the release.
This year’s 827 cases represent an increase of about 2,500% from the 32 cases reported in 2023.
“I’ve had multiple families say, ‘If I had known how bad this was going to be, I would have vaccinated.’ I use that to tell other families,” Jennifer Gibbons, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Portland, told OHA. She reminded families that children tolerate the vaccine well. “I find it to be a really useful, safe and effective vaccine.”
A course of antibiotics prescribed by a health care provider for all individuals who share a household with an infected infant or pregnant person is effective against whooping cough.