In Connecticut, U.S., respiratory illnesses on the rise

COVID-19, whooping cough and another respiratory illness associated with children’s red cheeks have been spiking in Connecticut and other states across the country, public health officials say.

On Friday, Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said an August uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases has occurred earlier than anticipated.

Although the virus’ presence in wastewater in Connecticut currently ranks high, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state is listed in the “low” category in terms of emergency department COVID-19 visits, Juthani said.

“I want to stress that for our oldest and most vulnerable Connecticut residents ― especially adults aged 65 and older ― if you received your last COVID-19 shot four months or more ago, you can receive another vaccine at this time to boost your immunity,” she said. “An updated COVID vaccine will be available this fall, and you would still be eligible to receive it in four months.”

Dr. Kevin Torres, associate chief medical officer at New London’s Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, said the number of COVID-19 cases recently increased “in the community,” though relatively little testing for the disease is being done.

L+M was treating 10 patients with COVID-19 Friday, though that may not have been the reason the patients were admitted, Torres said. Doctors at the hospital are only prescribing Paxlovid, a drug used to treat the disease, for patients who also have other respiratory issues, he said.

In a memo dated Aug. 7, state public health officials advised health care providers that 93 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, had been identified in Connecticut since the beginning of the year, nearly nine times the 11 cases found during all of 2023.

As of Monday, the statewide number of cases had climbed to 111, according to Sonya Barrs, a nurse practitioner who sees patients in the Northeast Medical Group’s Pawcatuck offices.

Adolescents from 10 to 19 years old accounted for 77 of the cases.

In an interview, Barrs said she wanted to alert the public to the increase in pertussis, which can be prevented by vaccines and treated with antibiotics, and to the prevalence of the highly contagious human parvovirus B19, which can be accompanied by the so-called “slapped cheek rash.”

According to the CDC, the proportion of people with antibodies that indicate they’ve recently been infected with the parvovirus increased from less than 3% during 2022-24 to 10% in June 2024.

Among children 5 to 9 years old, the incidence shot up from 15% in 2022-24 to 40% in June 2024.

Most people have had parvovirus B19, also known as the fifth disease, by the time they’re teenagers. It’s called the fifth disease because it’s the fifth of six viral skin rashes known to affect children, the others being measles, scarlet fever, rubella (German measles), Dukes’ disease and roseola.

While most mothers are immune to the parvovirus, an expectant mother who becomes infected risks spreading the virus to her developing baby. Pregnant women who have been exposed to the disease, as well as those with weakened immune systems or sickle cell disease, should seek medical treatment.

Pertussis is more concerning than the parvovirus, Barrs said, and can be dangerous for young children and babies.

The vaccine for pertussis, DTP or DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis), provides adequate protection for young children and lasts for 10 years. Expectant mothers and fathers, day care providers, babysitters and anyone else who deals with young children should be vaccinated, Barrs said.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com