Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a bacterial illness that spreads very easily. It used to be a common childhood disease until the vaccine made it much more rare. It’s coming back as vaccination rates drop, and it’s particularly concerning for babies. We are regularly seeing employees across our client base with Pertussis.
At first, it’s very similar to the common cold: runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough. Then, a week or two after symptoms first start, people start to have intense coughing fits, sometimes with a high-pitched “whooping” sound when they inhale between coughs - hence the name. These coughing fits can last for weeks and worsen over time. Small babies may have different and very serious symptoms, like struggling to breathe.
It’s very hard to tell whooping cough from COVID, flu, RSV, or even a common cold during the first two weeks. But once the telltale coughing fits start, it’s relatively easy to test for the bacteria that causes it.
As a reminder, there is a vaccine for both kids and adults, and adults should get a Tdap booster about every 10 years. You may have gotten a booster during pregnancy or been asked to get a booster before being around a newborn, but if you haven’t been vaccinated in the past 10 years, you can get boosted again now.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, CDC
We’ve talked a lot about H5N1 jumping from birds into cows, cats, and other mammals, but we really liked this look at another group of animals that could play a role in where bird flu goes next. It also taught us a new word: “synanthropes” - wild animals like pigeons, gulls, rats, and sea lions that have adapted to live side by side with humans, sometimes bringing the diseases they carry closer than we’d like.