Vancouver, Wash. – The number of whooping cough cases in Clark County in 2024 is more than four times as high as the same time last year. Most of the 60 cases identified so far this year are among people who have never been vaccinated against whooping cough.
Whooping cough – or pertussis – is a serious respiratory illness that spreads easily from person to person when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Whooping cough can be especially serious for babies younger than 1 year, who are at greatest risk for severe complications. About 1 in 3 babies younger than 1 year old who get whooping cough need hospital care.
“Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect not only yourself but the babies and young children around you from getting whooping cough,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “Many babies who get whooping cough are infected by older siblings, parents or caregivers who don’t know they have it.”
Early symptoms of whooping cough are similar to those of a common cold: runny or stuffy nose, a mild cough, and a low-grade fever. However, one to two weeks after symptoms begin, people can develop violent coughing fits that leave them gasping for air afterward. Babies with whooping cough may not cough but instead have life-threatening pauses in breathing, gagging or gasping.
Children 4 years and younger account for more than half of the whooping cough cases in Clark County so far this year. Among them, 78% have never received a vaccine that protects against whooping cough. Among all cases in Clark County, 62% have never received whooping cough vaccination.
People who are vaccinated may still be able to get whooping cough, but their illness is usually less severe.
Whooping cough vaccination
Whooping cough vaccination is recommend for all babies, children, preteens and pregnant women. And adults who have never received a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine should get one.
Babies need three doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine, given at 2, 4 and 6 months old, to build protection. They then receive two additional doses as young children – one at 15-18 months old, the second at 4-6 years – to maintain that protection.
Preteens should get one dose of Tdap when they’re 11-12 years old to boost their protection. And pregnant women should get a Tdap booster during the third trimester of every pregnancy. This helps to protect the baby from whooping cough in the first few months of life.
In Clark County, only 56% of children 19-35 months old are up to date on their whooping cough vaccination.
Children attending school in Washington are required to be fully immunized against several vaccine-preventable diseases, including whooping cough. Children entering kindergarten are required to have five doses of DTaP.
In Clark County, about 89% of kindergartners were up to date on their whooping cough vaccination in the 2023-24 school year. About 8% of kindergartners had a personal, religious or medical immunization exemption for the whooping cough vaccine.