NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Seasonal sickness among children is on the rise and may be severe for the youngest in your home.
The CDC reports cases of whooping cough and walking pneumonia have risen substantially in recent years.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, cases have reached 22,240 this year in the United States. Compare that to 4,809 in 2023.
Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious diseases professor at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, attributes the outbreaks to the following:
- A drop in vaccine rates
- A newer pertussis, or whooping cough, is a vaccine that's good at preventing symptoms but could be better at containing the spread
- More time spent together, spreading germs, post-pandemic
He adds both whooping cough and walking pneumonia can be more severe in infants and young children, as well as adults with underlying conditions.
"If they have fever and cough, but that cough is more severe, that fever is higher, that's a good time to be checked out," said Dr. Creech.
Because symptoms can look the same for multiple infections, doctors sometimes have to go through the process of elimination.
Creech says if your child is sick, there's a good chance you'll be given amoxicillin. If you see that's not working, the likelihood of your child having whooping cough or walking pneumonia increases and you should meet with a pediatrician.
He adds getting your child vaccinated, or receiving vaccinations as an expectant mother, is your best bet to avoid infections that pose the greatest health risk.
"This is why every person who's pregnant — including my daughter right now, we're about to have our first granddaughter — every single person who's pregnant needs to talk to their OB about when they should get their pertussis booster [or vaccine]," he explained.
Learn more about the differences between whooping cough and walking pneumonia.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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