Grey Bruce Public Health is recommending that everyone make sure that their vaccinations are up-to-date as the province is seeing an increase in pertussis cases.
In the first seven months of the year, Public Health was notified of 16 confirmed or probable cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in Grey-Bruce.
Normally only about 3 or 4 cases of the illness are reported in Grey-Bruce annually.
“Whooping cough is a regularly-occurring disease in Ontario, usually characterized by low levels of activity though,” says Monica Blair, the Manager of Public Heath’s Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program. “But we do occasionally see cyclical increases every 2-6 years.”
She says that the illness is most common in babies and small children since they have not been able to be fully vaccinated against the bacteria that causes pertussis.
“It is a highly contagious respiratory infection. The first symptoms often appear 7-10 days after being infected with the bacteria, but it could take a bit longer than that, Blair explains. “Pertussis starts out with a mild fever, runny nose, red watery eyes, and a cough.”
She says that the cough can worsen, and lead to coughing fits that make it difficult to breathe. It may also be a hacking cough, which then leads to an intake of breath that sounds like a “whoop”, which is why it’s known as whooping cough.
Publicly funded vaccines are available and recommended at different ages:
Two, four, six, and 18 months of age;
Between 4-6 years of age;
Between 14-16 years of age;
Once in adulthood (before age 65); and
Once in each pregnancy – ideally from 27 to 32 weeks gestation, but the vaccine can be given at any time during the pregnancy.
If you did not get a full schedule of pertussis vaccines, or you can’t remember the last time you had one, you can contact your primary care physician and schedule an appointment to get back on track.
Anyone who does not have a primary care provider and requires a pertussis vaccine can also contact Grey Bruce Public Health at 519-376-9420 and will be able to book an appointment with a local vaccination clinic that public health puts on monthly in Owen Sound and Walkerton.
