Doctors say whooping cough uptick in Louisiana is a result of fewer vaccinations
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Surgeon General, resulting in two infant deaths in the past six months. Doctors and pediatricians are urging parents to get themselves and their children vaccinated to combat the uptick.
“We always see some every year. This year, we’re a little bit over 100 cases. Historically, that’s higher than average for sure,” Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham said.
Dr. Abraham says whooping cough is a contagious bacterial infection that develops into the characteristic “whoop”-sounding inhale, and it can be especially dangerous and even deadly in infants.
“It’s certainly much more serious in young infants, those less than two years old who have not yet been vaccinated are certainly susceptible,” Dr. Abraham said.
Dr. Abraham says the best way to prevent catching it or spreading it to others in your family is through the vaccine, which is available for adults and children.
“During the pandemic, we were at all-time low numbers. We’re returning to those pre-pandemic numbers of whooping cough cases that we’ve been seeing,” Dr. Daniel Moore, pediatrician at the Baton Rouge Clinic, said.
Dr. Moore says he has seen the uptick in cases first-hand, coupled with fewer vaccinations.
“We’ve seen an unfortunate trend of decreased vaccination against the whooping cough that’s resulting in increased numbers nowadays,” Dr. Moore said.
Dr. Moore says families who might be hesitant to get themselves or their children vaccinated for whooping cough should bring their questions to a pediatrician.”
“I think there are a lot of reasons that families decide not to vaccinate their children. I know every pediatrician here at the Baton Rouge clinic really encourages vaccines, we all stand behind them,” Dr. Moore said.
Dr. Abraham says prevention is better than having to play catch-up.
“It’s a bad player we don’t like it we don’t want it, and we want to prevent it,” Dr. Abraham said.
Doctors recommend the vaccine for pregnant women in their third trimester, infants, and adults every 10 years.
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