"When there's an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, state health officials typically take certain steps to alert residents and issue public updates about the growing threat. That's standard practice, public health and infectious disease experts told NPR and KFF Health News. The goal is to keep as many other vulnerable people as possible from getting sick and to remind the public about the benefits of vaccinations. This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News."
"It can cause vomiting and trouble breathing, and serious infections can lead to pneumonia, seizures and, rarely, death. Dr. Madison Flake, a pediatric resident in Baton Rouge, La., cared for a baby who was hospitalized during this year's outbreak. At less than 2 months old, he was sent to the intensive care unit. "He would have these bouts of very dramatic coughing spells," Flake said. "He would stop breathing for several seconds to almost a minute.""
Louisiana experienced its worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years, with infants particularly affected. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is highly contagious and can cause vomiting, breathing difficulties, pneumonia, seizures, and death. Infants under two months cannot receive their first pertussis vaccine, but maternal vaccination during pregnancy can provide protection. By late January 2025, two infants had died and others were hospitalized, including a baby sent to intensive care with prolonged coughing spells and pauses in breathing. The Louisiana Department of Health delayed social media notifications for two months and took longer to issue statewide alerts to clinicians, press releases, or briefings.
Read at www.npr.org
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