Disease known to hospitalize children is continuing to spread in Michigan

More than half of infants who contract pertussis require hospitalization.

Once their condition has deteriorated enough to require medical care, there isn’t much physicians can do to treat them or speed up recovery. Instead, they offer supportive care, limit spread, and wait for the disease to run its course, said Dr. Francis Darr, a pediatrician in Marquette.

“The key, again, is not so much treatment as it is prevention and avoiding infection in the first place,” Darr said.

Michigan is seeing its highest number of pertussis infections in a decade. As of Dec. 8, the state health department reported more than 1,500 cases, which is more than twice as much as the 596-case average from 2017 through 2019.

Public health leaders are urging families to ensure they’re up to date on immunizations ahead of the holiday season. Physicians and health leaders held a call with reporters Thursday morning, Dec. 12, to express their concerns and plead for increased vaccination.

“I recently cared for several infants for vaccine-preventable diseases in the Upper Peninsula, including some with pertussis,” Darr said. “We have the opportunity to do better with vaccination; to provide better information and partner with parents to improve the health of their children and the health of our communities.”

Related: Michigan is seeing more whooping cough, which can be dangerous for kids

Pertussis is also known as whooping cough because of the sound its uncontrollable coughing fits can make for months following an infection.

“It was something where you would wake up in the middle of the night thinking that you would not breathe, and it lasted for months,” said Veronica McNally, founder of the Franny Strong Foundation. Her 3-month,old daughter Francesca died of whooping cough in 2012, setting her on a path of advocacy for vaccination against preventable diseases.

The disease can look like a common cold in the early days after infection. Babies and young children may not cough at first and instead have pauses in their breathing that can make their skin look bluish and cause shortness of breath. Within days that can develop into uncontrolled coughing fits.

It can take five to 10 days for symptoms to appear after exposure, health officials said. That paired with the similarity of symptoms to other infections can sometime delay detection.

Bacteria can spread through droplets released by coughing and sneezing. The most susceptible populations are babies, young children, and people with chronic health conditions.

Residents can protect themselves against severe illness from whooping cough by getting the recommended DTaP vaccine. Doses are recommended for babies at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 15 months, as well as for pregnant women.

The pertussis vaccine reduces infections by upwards of 80% for children, and reduces chance of severe illness in case of breakthrough infections, according to Ryan Malosh, director of Michigan’s Division of Immunizations.

About 83% of Michigan children receive their first dose of DTaP vaccine by the time they’re 3 months old, according to the latest state data. However, only 65.5% of 19-month-olds received all four recommended doses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the DTaP vaccine for adults who didn‘t receive a dose as an adolescent or adult.

Adults can also get a booster (TDaP) every 10 years to combat waning immunity and help protect vulnerable children in their lives. For more information, visit the CDC’s website.