Dramatic rise in whooping cough cases concerns local doctor

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The CDC says data shows that, nationally, cases of whooping cough are about five times higher this year compared to last year, and they're on the rise in Illinois too.

In Illinois, 1,058 cases have been reported so far this year, compared to just 199 at this time last year.

Dr. David Nguyen is an infectious diseases specialist at Rush University System for Health.

“Infants under 6-months-old are particularly [at] high risk for whooping cough…For an older child or adult, whooping cough is very annoying, it lasts several weeks, sometimes several months, as far as the cough goes, but in a baby, their lungs are smaller, so that frequent coughing can cause a lot of other issues,  the worst of which would be death,” says Nguyen.

He says the increase in cases could be due in part to less people getting vaccinated for whooping cough and more inside gatherings, including kids in school.

“Anytime when people are going to be closer indoors together, in general, they're going to be more likely to transmit infections,” Nguyen says.

He says the best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated.

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