Whooping Cough Outbreak in Texas Reaches Highest Level in More Than 50 Years

The number of people suffering from whooping cough has reached alarming levels in Texas. 

Considering the increasing number of people reporting sick with this disease, The Texas Department of State Health Services is urging people to get themselves vaccinated against whooping cough or pertussis. 

"This is extremely concerning. If cases continue to be diagnosed at the current rate, we will see the most Texas cases since the 1950s," said Dr. Lisa Cornelius, DSHS infectious diseases medical officer, in a press statement. "Pertussis is highly infectious and can cause serious complications, especially in babies, so people should take it seriously."

A health alert was issued by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) advising doctors to correctly diagnose and treat pertussis. Since infants are at a higher risk of getting infected, the state health department recommends that parents should make sure their children's vaccinations are up to date.

Pertussis is a bacterial infection that starts with symptoms like cold and mild cough, which is then followed by severe coughing. These coughing bouts are sometimes accompanied by vomiting. It easily spreads to others through air.

The current statistics of the pertussis cases stand at 2,000 and the DSHS says that the annual total will exceed the cases reported in 2009 i.e. 3,358. This year two infants lost their lives to pertussis as they were too young to be vaccinated.

In order to protect the babies, DSHS recommends that pregnant women take a dose of pertussis vaccine during the 26^th or 27^th week of pregnancy. This not only protects the mother from getting sick and infecting the baby but also protects the baby after birth till he/she receives the vaccine series at 2 months.

The symptoms of pertussis are mild in teens and adults but can be life threatening in babies because of the risk of apnea.  The severity of the symptoms can be reduced and contagious period shortened if diagnosed early and treated on time.