Whooping cough cases in Maine have dropped by about half in the past year, but the numbers still remain high.

Maine typically sees 40 to 60 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, a year. Last year, that number jumped to 737.

This year, as of mid-December, Maine has had 317 cases, including one recent case at a Minot elementary school.

“It’s still a pretty significant disease in Maine,” State Epidemiologist Stephen Sears said.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by bacteria and known for causing violent, uncontrollable coughing that can last for weeks. People with the disease often make a “whoop” sound as they try to breathe after a coughing fit.   

The number of whooping cough cases has been high across the nation. There are several reasons for that, according to Sears, including the fact that vaccines don’t offer complete immunity, adults are not as well vaccinated against the disease as they should be and the diseases seems to cycle every three to five years. Vaccine opponents have also factored into the disease’s rise, since they may not vaccinate their children against whooping cough.

“There’s a lot of dynamics,” Sears said.

Maine’s numbers peaked last year with 737 cases, 65 of them in Androscoggin County. In an effort to lower those numbers, the state sent information to doctors and schools to encourage vaccination and worked with schools on whooping cough clinics.

The measures seemed to have helped, with cases statewide dropping by half. Androscoggin County, which had 65 cases last year, has seen 33 so far this year.

One of the most recent cases was in a Minot Consolidated School teacher who had been dealing with a cough since November. This week, that school called and emailed parents and staff members to let them know about the diagnosis in case someone in their family developed a persistent cough.

While the number of cases has dropped this year, Sears said, the disease remains a significant one in Maine. It can be a particularly bad illness for infants younger than six months old because their lungs aren’t fully developed and they’ve just started the vaccine series, giving them less immunity than an older child who has had all the shots. 

The Maine Centers for Disease Control encourages all Mainers to be vaccinated against whooping cough. Children receive a series of shots in infancy and then one between ages 4 and 6. They should get a booster around age 11. It’s recommended that pregnant women be vaccinated against whooping cough and other adults get the vaccine as part of the DTaP booster that provides protection against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. 

People who have close contact with someone diagnosed with whooping cough can get five days of antibiotics to stop them from getting the disease.

ltice@sunjournal.com

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