PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Health officials across the Philadelphia five-county region are warning people about a rise in Pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
“It is highly contagious,” Lora Werner, the deputy director of the Delaware County Health Department, told Action News.
Werner said Delaware County has seen about 20 cases of whooping cough since the start of the year.
Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
READ MORE: Health officials investigating increase in whooping cough cases among children in Montgomery Co. “This cough is kind of particular.
Health officials say the only way to confirm you have whooping cough is to get a diagnosis.
In Chester County, health officials have identified an outbreak in schools.
Montgomery County officials say the county is also seeing a rise in cases, primarily among high school students.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) – Health officials are alerting the public to an increase in pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, throughout the Philadelphia five-county region.
According to Lora Werner, deputy director of the Delaware County Health Department, Action News, “it is highly contagious.”. We will discover that if a person has been diagnosed with whooping cough, if they are not vaccinated, approximately 100% of their household contacts will contract it from them. “.
Werner reported that since the beginning of the year, Delaware County has seen roughly 20 cases of whooping cough. According to her, young boys under the age of fifteen have accounted for 75% of those cases.
A bacteria that causes whooping cough is dispersed through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The predominant symptom is a productive cough.
READ MORE: Montgomery County health officials are looking into a rise in cases of whooping cough among children.
This cough is a little unique. It’s intense beyond belief. People frequently struggle greatly to catch their breath in between,” said Montgomery County’s medical director, Dr. Richard Lorraine.
Medical professionals advise that receiving a diagnosis is the only way to determine whether you have whooping cough.
“A physician’s office test, where they do a respiratory panel and make the diagnosis, is the only really official way to find out,” Werner said.
Whooping cough frequently spreads among youth, particularly in educational settings, according to Werner.
“This age group is the one with which it’s most noticeable,” she said. “We see these cycles of cases coming up and going down again every three to five years across the globe.”.
Health officials in Chester County have discovered an outbreak in schools. They claim that more than 25 cases that have affected several districts have been reported. According to officials, they anticipate an increase in the number of cases.
There is an increase in cases in Montgomery County, according to county officials; these cases are mainly affecting high school pupils.
Their immunity level would be a little lower, Dr. Lorraine said, “because there’s a chance that some of them might not have received their booster at the 11 to 12-year-old range.”.
Dr. Vaccination is the best line of defense, according to Lorraine, but he pointed out that studies have shown that antibody levels wane with age.
Although Lorraine advises people to educate themselves about the illness, he stated that while there are currently many cases reported in the county, there is no need for anyone to become alarmed.
“At this point, we haven’t received any indication that this is beyond those typical parameters; it’s just that we’re currently experiencing an increase in cases,” he stated. “We are seeing a few more cases at the moment, but I’m not reading too much into that; it’s just normal variation that we see.”. “.
