WECHU warns of rising whooping cough cases

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, March 20, 2023. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is warning residents about rising cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in the region.

WECHU is urging individuals to keep themselves up to date with the pertussis vaccine.

Since Nov. 1, 2022, the health unit has received reports of 18 cases of pertussis in Windsor-Essex. WECHU says cases have predominately been clustered in the Leamington and Kingsville communities, and exclusively in children who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. It is highly contagious and is spread through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of pertussis start with a runny nose or nasal congestion, sneezing, mild cough, and mild fever.

“Some people develop a severe cough that has the characteristic high-pitched whoop. The cough can be so severe as to result in vomiting,” says Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health.

WECHU says untreated pertussis in infants, young children, and the elderly can lead to complications such as pneumonia, dehydration, brain damage, hospitalization, and death.

The health unit advises parents and guardians to be alert to symptoms of the illness which is particularly dangerous in children under the age of one.

As a result of the recent increase in cases, WECHU recommends that healthcare providers consider whooping cough as a possible cause when evaluating patients with respiratory symptoms. Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics