Ontario sees a surge in whooping cough cases

A surprising surge of whooping cough cases in Ontario, has experts working to track the contagious disease while simultaneously preparing to deal with other respiratory illnesses that usually climb during fall.

 “It’s also not just an Ontario issue. This has been noted in many other parts of Canada, and also in other parts of the world as well.” Infectious Diseases Physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch told CityNews. “Sadly, we are seeing a global resurgence.”

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a respiratory disease that makes it hard to clear mucus from the throat and lungs. 

As of September 9, at least 1,016 infections were reported in Ontario, according to public health data. The province is on track to surpass its highest case count since 2012, when 1,044 infections were reported. 

The five-year average to date is 98 cases.

“Very little of this was seen during the pandemic,” Dr. Bogoch explained. “Part of this is there’s more of it circulating […] there’s more testing being done and people are at least more aware of it.”

Toronto is seeing a steady climb in pertussis as well, with 113 confirmed cases as of September 16. Toronto health officials said the number is three times the yearly average.

According to Dr. Bogoch, it’s unclear why there is such a surge, but many factors could be contributing to the rise.

“We know that there are normal variations of disease over time, and this might be at least partially related to that.  The other reason is, of course, we have to think about vaccinations, and some people might not be choosing to vaccinate themselves or their family, which is a problem,” he explained. “The other thing that I think we should be considering too is being immune from existing vaccines as well.”

“We know that that’s certainly a component with this particular vaccine,” he added.

Other possibilities for the uptick also include some having barriers to getting a vaccine, and those who may have missed getting a booster shot during the pandemic. Experts say the difficulty with whooping cough is that it may be tricky to detect in its early stages.

“It’s very difficult to distinguish many illnesses, especially respiratory illnesses from one another,” Dr. Bogoch explained. “The hallmarks with this is a severe, severe cough and a prolonged cough, prolonged meaning this can last for weeks and weeks and weeks.”

With autumn officially here, it also means that doctors are preparing for an expected uptick in other respiratory illnesses like the cold, flu and RSV.

“I think the two key messages here are number one, prevention and number two, early detection. Prevention is key” Dr. Bogoch said.

Whooping cough is most risky for older adults, children and unvaccinated infants. 

Routine vaccines that help protect children against pertussis are scheduled at two months of age, four months and six months, followed by a booster at 18 months. Booster shots are also scheduled later in childhood and during the adolescent years. A vaccine is also recommended for adults and during pregnancy.