United States: Washington state witnessed its first whooping cough fatality of the past ten years, with a Spokane County child passing away in November.
On Wednesday, the Spokane Regional Health District announced an under-five child died.
More about the news
Whooping cough ended up as a deadly infection following confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as reported on the district website.
Doctors administered specific doses of DTaP vaccine to protect the child from whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria, yet made him ineligible to receive the rest of his scheduled series.
According to CDC guidelines, parents should administer five DTaP shots to their children during 2, 4, 6 months of age and 15-18 months of age and a fourth dose between 4 and 6 years of age.
A child from Spokane County has died from whooping cough, marking the first pertussis-related death in Washington since 2011.https://t.co/f77lH171jh
— KHQ Local News (@KHQLocalNews) February 6, 2025
What do the experts recommend?
The medical community advises people between the ages of 11 and adulthood to obtain Tdap booster doses at least once every 10-year period.
According to Dr. Francisco Velazquez, health officer for Spokane County, “This death serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vaccination, especially for those who are most vulnerable, including infants and young children,” seattletimes.com reported.
“We encourage all community members to make sure their vaccinations are up to date, as the best way to protect yourself and others from pertussis is through immunization,” Velazquez continued.
Rising cases of the disease
The district authorities documented that this death from whooping cough marked the first such case in Washington state since 2011, while media sources reported a King County newborn died from whooping cough in 2012.
A significant number of whooping cough cases occurred in the state during 2024, when the Department of Health recorded over 2000 reported instances.
A high incidence of whooping cough has affected the entire nation this year.
The 2024 whooping cough outbreak reached its peak in Whitman as well as Pend Oreille and Clark counties.
The area of Pend Oreille, along with Clark County, registered between 110 to 180 whooping cough cases for every 100,000 residents, whereas Whitman County remained at the highest rate at 210 whooping cough cases per 100,000 people.
The whooping cough case rate for King County amounted to 10.3 per 100,000 people. DOH reports that whooping cough starts as a normal cold with congestion before severe coughing episodes emerge, which can last weeks or months, seattletimes.com reported.
Infants show the most risk of developing serious illness and dying from whooping cough.
Some babies present unexpected breathing patterns because of whooping cough rather than classic coughing signs, according to DOH.