U of S issues health alert for whooping cough; experts encourage ...

Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 30, 2024 6:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The University of Saskatchewan has issued a health alert for whooping cough, also called pertussis. 

Whooping cough cases appear to be on the rise across the country, and health experts are worried about the illness spreading from students and adults to infants and those who are immunocompromised.

Whooping cough usually starts just like a cold or flu. But family physician and clinical researcher Dr. Iris Gorfinkel says it can lead to a "great deal of misery."

"Pertussis can last 100 days. It can cause somebody to cough so hard they can practically vomit from it. And because the airway is so inflamed, the cough sounds like a shotgun. And then finally when they take that deep breath in, it creates that whooping sound," Gorfinkel said.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says more than 12,000 cases were reported from January to August this year. It says typically it sees at most 4,500 cases in an entire year. 

In Saskatchewan, the Ministry of Health tells CBC that 60 pertussis cases have been reported this year as of Sept. 30. 

Dr. Ayla Mueen, a physician at the U of S's student wellness centre, said the uptick in whooping cough at the university is concerning, and not just for the students.

"Kids usually get vaccines as part of their immunization, but infants less than two months or so, they don't have immunity. So if they get whooping cough or pertussis then, they don't have any immune system to fight against that. They can see more complications," Mueen said.

For students coming into the U of S, Mueen recommends making sure immunizations are up to date and wearing masks if they're feeling sick.

She recommends young adults contact their family doctor or call 811, even if they think they only have a cold. 

Gorfinkel said most Canadians are not aware that there's an adult vaccine for pertissus.

"They associate pertussis with a pediatric vaccination. And that's true. It is a vaccine given to kids. But all adults should have one dose as well," said Gorfinkel.

The Toronto physician said whooping cough is a bacterial infection that is "extremely stealthy," because it imitates what so many viruses do.

"Viral infections cause a runny nose. Well, so does pertussis. At first it can cause a low grade fever. So does pertussis," Gorfinkel said.

"But the differences is pertussis has a toxin that paralyzes the little hairs that line our trachea. Now, those hairs have a job of pushing mucus back upward, but once they're paralyzed it causes a person's airways to get inflamed and gather a lot of mucus."

That, Gorfinkel said, causes a severe cough.

WATCH | Whooping cough health alert issued at U of Sask.: 

Since whooping cough is a bacteria, antibiotics can help.

"Five days after you started antibiotics, you're not going to spread it to anyone anymore. So right off the bat, that's the first thing that we can do when we know that someone has pertussis," said Dr. Jasmine Hasselbeck, medical officer of health for the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

The SHA said antibiotics are just one tool in its tool-belt when it comes to whooping cough.

"We start looking around them. We start connecting with the individuals who are in their day-to-day and who might be at increased risk of falling ill."

Local public health teams follow-up with all laboratory-confirmed cases of pertussis.

The SHA said pertussis is preventable with routine childhood vaccination. All children should receive routine free vaccinations, which includes protection against pertussis, at two, four and six months of age, followed by additional doses at 18 months and four years.

Women who are pregnant are also encouraged to get a Tdap booster shot.