Nebraska seeing higher than normal cases of whooping cough

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – Nebraska has seen 35 cases of whooping cough so far in 2024, which is almost triple the amount of cases seen in 2023 with just 13 reports.

Recently, a student in Kearney Public Schools tested positive for the bacteria and all precautions were taken.

Whooping cough, also known by its clinical name of pertussis, is a contagious respiratory disease that is spread from person to person by coughing of sneezing.

Coughing may occur up to 10 weeks and may cause the high-pitched “whoop” sound characteristic of pertussis. Some people may also experience vomiting, fatigue, struggle to breathe and more severe symptoms.

“Whooping cough can last a really long time,” said Casey Skalka, the employee health nurse at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings. “It can last weeks to months.”

There are pertussis vaccines available to anyone over the age of two months, and it is recommended that you get a new vaccine every seven years.

It’s recommend that all pregnant women receive a pertussis vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to help protect babies from serious illness until they are old enough to get vaccinated.

“It’s a serious virus,” Skalka said. “It really can knock you down. It can make you very fatigued. So the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones is to get vaccinated. Of course, the vaccine is never 100%. It’s not going to make it to where you cannot get it but it’s going to lessen the severity of those symptoms so you can’t get it as bad for as long.”

You can learn more about pertussis by clicking here.

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