Whooping Cough Is Surging in China With Tens of Thousands of Cases and Over a Dozen Deaths

Discussions are needed to determine if the country should update the vaccine it uses for the disease or adjust the immunization program, Shen Hongbing, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a conference in March.  “It requires close attention to prevent and control the spread of whooping cough in China,” Shen said, according to local media reports.   Vaccination woes Whooping cough infections have been rising in China since 2014, with more than 30,000 in 2019, according to the Chinese CDC. After a respite during the Covid isolation days, they bounced back to almost 40,000 a year in 2022 and 2023, the agency reported. Nuances around vaccination are contributing to the increase. Covid disruptions, waning protection and genetic changes may all be playing a role.  Older patients can experience atypical symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis and allowing them to covertly carry and spread the infection. Meanwhile, genetic changes may help the bacteria elude an immune system primed to detect it, allowing the pathogen to continue sickening even the immunized, according to a Beijing Daily report. Vaccination rates worldwide suffered during the pandemic. The percentage of children getting all three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis shot plunged to 81% in 2021, the lowest level since 2008, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Gl...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized News Desk overnight wire Source Type: news