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Surge in Whooping Cough cases in Alaska sparks health concern

Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham. January 15, 2024.
Christina McDermott
/
KDLG
Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham. January 15, 2024.

According to the Alaska Department of Health, Alaska has seen a resurgence of whooping cough, also known as Pertussis, this year. As of yesterday, more than 400 cases have been reported this year- more than the total for the last eight years combined.

Pertussis is a common disease, according to the CDC. However, Rebecca Johnson, Division Manager for Infectious Diseases at Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham, says it still poses risks, especially for infants and children, pregnant mothers, and people with compromised immune systems.

Johnson joined KDLG to discuss the outbreak, its associated risks, and ways to prevent its spread.

Johnson: In October we had 34 new cases of pertussis statewide in Alaska, with the current year to date, a total of 435 cases. I know of one confirmed death in an infant due to pertussis in the anchorage region. 

[Sutherland: How do those numbers compare to past years? 

Johnson: We see waxing and waning of diseases like pertussis. During the COVID pandemic, we saw less pertussis because we were masking, we were washing our hands, we were distancing. Now we're seeing an uptick, and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that we have gone away from those protective measures. So we are seeing more of an outbreak right now than we have in the past.

Sutherland: What are the risks of pertussis? 

Johnson: Pertussis is a really interesting disease. People might recognize it more by the name whooping cough or the 100-day cough. And really that 100-day cough epitomizes pertussis. It's a bacterium. It's easily spread through the air in droplets produced during coughing and sneezing, and it's known for uncontrollable, violent coughing spells, which make it hard to breathe. After fits of coughing, people try to take a deep breath and this whooping sound occurs, and that's why it's called whooping cough. 

It can affect all people of all ages, and can be very serious and even deadly for babies less than a year old.

Pertussis is 100% preventable with vaccination. We have different age groups that we vaccinate. And really we try to get everybody. Pregnant women, we absolutely vaccinate with every pregnancy. Children, they get the vaccine as well. And adults. People, when we get older, we tend to forget about vaccinating ourselves. We think about vaccinating children at all the different ages. You know, the two months, four months, six months, one year. We remember all that as parents, but we forget about ourselves and we can become those vectors that transmit diseases when we're not vaccinated and our immunity is not high enough. 

Counting on herd immunity. This is a concept that if everybody is vaccinated, the disease isn't going to be in the population, because it can't get a foothold. So if we have a certain percentage of the population that does not vaccinate, those people are susceptible, and it can gain a foothold, and it can be transmitted. 

Sutherland: What are the signs and symptoms that people should be looking for? 

Johnson: A persistent cough that doesn't go away is one of the symptoms. The whooping sound when you cough so much, and then you try to take in that deep breath with inspiration, that's a classic symptom. And just the general malaise, the fever, the lethargy that goes along with it. So if you've been sick for a long time, it's probably something that needs to be checked out, and we can certainly help do that.]

That was Rebecca Johnson, Division Manager for Infectious Diseases at the Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham. According to Johnson, there are currently no reported cases of Pertussis in the Bristol Bay region.

You can find more information on Pertussis at the Alaska Department of Health website.

Margaret Sutherland is a local reporter and host at KDLG, Dillingham's NPR member station. Margaret graduated from College of Charleston with a degree in English, and went on to attend the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Radio and Podcasting. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and creating rich soundscapes for the listener's ears to enjoy.