Salut discovered three outbreaks of whooping cough with at least 18 people infected in Cerdanyola del Valles

The Ministry of Health has detected three outbreaks of whooping cough with at least 18 people infected in Cerdanyola del Valles.according to the newspaper We buy. In fact, what has been an explosion of infections in Catalonia with more than 300 cases so far in 2024. This is what the latest report of the Public Health Agency (ASPCAT) mentions, which shows that in 2023 530 were registered and that this year 342 have already been recorded. In just a month and a half. The number of outbreaks has also increased: from 67 last year, to 45 between January and February of 2024.

One ASPCAT explanation for the rise in pertussis is the end – Remove restrictions on social media Suppression of the use of masks after the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among the age group of 10 to 14 years. To this should be added the decline in immunity over time, changes in the microbiota, greater diagnostic effort and the cyclical pattern of the disease – there are epidemic outbreaks every 3-5 years. Hence, “it is necessary to continue diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance efforts, maintain primary vaccination coverage in pregnant women and enhance childhood vaccination to ensure optimal coverage.”

What is whooping cough?

It must be remembered that whooping cough is an acute and contagious respiratory disease caused by bacteria Bordetella pertussis And it is distinguished A bout of whooping cough Which can extend for weeks or months, as SALT gathered. Its infection rate is very high and is transmitted through small droplets that are released from the mouth and nose when coughing. It is a feature of childhood, most often between the ages of two and five, although it can also affect infants and children. In adults, it is less frequent and often goes unnoticed, because its course is asymptomatic. Whoever suffers from it makes a disgusting sound when trying to inhale, which is why it is given this name. This cough can leave sequelae such as pneumonia, convulsions, inflammation of the brain (encephalopathy), and in some cases, death. The severity of the disease increases in children under six months.

In recent years, whooping cough has become a re-emerging disease in many countries in our social and economic sphere. For this reason, different intervention strategies have been proposed with the aim of reducing its incidence, especially in the population group most at risk: children during the first year of life, and especially during the first months, when they have not yet developed vaccination-induced immunity. He is about toIndividual mandatory declaration diseaseTherefore, professionals must announce it to the competent epidemiological surveillance unit as soon as its presence is suspected.