Doctors in Texas are seeing a surge of cases of whooping cough.
The state’s health department said there are four times the number of cases now than they saw last year.
So far this year, they have seen more than 3,400 cases through the end of October, Fox News reported. This is the second year that the state has had a high number of cases, according to ABC News.
Cases nationwide have been higher in the past two years than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency said it may start like a cold but may last weeks or even months. The severity can be lessened with early use of antibiotics.
Early symptoms include:
- Stuffed or runny nose
- Low-grade fever
- Mid, occasional cough
The mild cough will develop into coughing fits called paroxysms that can last from one to six weeks, and even 10 weeks.
Babies may not be able to cough, but will have apnea, where they stop breathing or struggle to breathe, the CDC said.
Babies under a year are at the greatest risk of developing and having severe complications, according to the CDC.
It is spread person-to-person through the air when someone with the bacteria coughs or sneezes.
The bacteria can be spread from the start of symptoms to two weeks after coughing starts.
Vaccines can protect from contracting whooping cough, the CDC said.
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