Cases of whooping cough up in southwest region, health officials warn

Health officials are warning about an uptick ofwhooping cough cases, a disease making a comeback as vaccination rates lag.

There's been a recent spike in cases in St. Thomas, Woodstock and Elgin County, say officials with Southwestern Public Health. Pertussis, known commonly as whooping cough, used to be one of the most common childhood illnesses and a major cause of child death before a vaccine became available.

"Staying up to date with vaccinations helps protect your child and those around them against pertussis as
well as other vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella," said medical officer of health Dr. Ninh Tran. "Untreated pertussis in infants can lead to hospitalization, brain damage, and death."

Public health officials are asking anyone with a cough lasting more than a week to get assessed through their primary care provider.

They're also asking people to make sure their vaccination is up to date.

Symptoms of whooping cough start with a runny nose and nasal congestion, sneezing, mild cough and sometimes mild fever. The cough lasts from two to eight weeks and gets progressively worse, sometimes leading to vomiting, trouble breathing, and coughing up mucous.

It can be treated with antibiotics and isn't contagious after five days of treatment.