OREGON, USA — Oregon is expected to beat the state's record for whooping cough, also known as pertussis, cases by the end of the year, as Clark County recently reported the highest number of cases among all Washington state counties.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) said that as of Wednesday, the state has seen a total of 827 cases in 23 counties this year. At least one person, an older adult, has died.
The overall state record is 910 cases, set in 2012. It had been the highest annual count since 1953.
OHA also reported that this year, Lane County has seen the highest number of cases, with 249. Multnomah County follows with 180, Clackamas County with 109, Washington County with 67 and Deschutes County with 59. A wide range of ages — between 5 weeks old and 89 years old — have been affected, with the median age at 11.
Data shows that 49% of whooping cough cases this year so far had zero documented doses of the pertussis vaccine, according to OHA. Only 44% were up to date on vaccinations. There have been 75 cases among infants, who have the largest likelihood of hospitalization and death.
“I’m worried, given the time of year, because people are attending indoor holiday gatherings, and those gatherings often include newborns who are too young to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division, in a press release.
Public health experts continued to urge getting vaccinated, particularly for pregnant people, children and older adults. Routine vaccinations are also recommended for whooping cough, OHA said, noting that annual whooping cough numbers have sharply increased, by nearly 2,500%.
Whooping cough is at its highest level nationwide in a decade; chickenpox outbreaks in Oregon also have been increasingly, mostly among unvaccinated children. At this time, vaccine exemptions are also at an all-time high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
