WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), there have been more than 550 reported cases of whooping cough.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that fewer kindergartners are getting vaccinated for illnesses like measles and whooping cough. The lower vaccination rate comes as North Carolina sees a surge in whooping cough cases.
State Epidemiologist Zack Moore says that last year, there were more than 800 cases of whooping cough in North Carolina, the highest number seen in over 70 years. He says this year the state is on track to break the record.
“It’s not a record that we want to break. We do want people to get their pertussis vaccination so they are protected. More than half of the cases that have been reported in North Carolina this year were people who have not had their vaccination against that disease,” said Moore.
Moore says the state is concerned about the increased number of whooping cough cases. He says whooping cough can seem like a normal cold at first. However, the illness leads to persistent coughing, which can cause broken ribs and damage to the eye vessels.
Moore also emphasized that pregnant women get vaccinated for whooping cough to pass protection on to the baby. He says whooping cough is especially dangerous for babies.
“Fundamentally, we all have the same goal: keeping kids healthy. I know that is the goal that parents and clinicians share,” said Moore. “Vaccines are a really important way to help keep kids healthy and protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases that can cause a whole range of illnesses and can also cause very severe illness in some cases. Those diseases haven’t changed; they are still out there. When rates of vaccination start to go down, we start to see an increase in those diseases.”
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