Whooping cough outbreak in 12 schools in Terrassa and 200 other people

The three buds Whooping cough It was discovered last week in Cerdagnola, with 18 infected people already arriving terrace. In the city there Twelve schools Where outbreaks of the disease have been detected and confirmed in the surrounding area 200 other people Infected people, adults and children, report from the Ministry of Health.

Since it is a mandatory declaration disease, the Epidemiological surveillance service in Valles He activated the corresponding protocols and letters were sent to families in the classes where the infection was detected. Health indicates that all cases discovered so far are mild and no one has been hospitalized.

In schools, the discovery of whooping cough outbreaks has left children and teachers at home. In the educational district with a suspicious clinic (in case of an outbreak or poor communications), antibiotic treatment was initiated and children and adults were absent from the educational center for five days since the start of treatment.

In schools and kindergartens, Epidemiological surveillance unit He may recommend preventive treatment in intimate contacts in the classroom and team sports contacts.

The control measures implemented in the event of an outbreak are, in general, to recommend isolation and treatment of the patient, apart from antibiotic prophylaxis and vaccination of contacts in case they have not updated their vaccination schedule.

Catalonia has been witnessing a new wave of this infectious disease since the outbreak of the epidemic. There has been an explosion in infections with more than 300 cases so far in 2024. This is according to the latest report of the Public Health Agency (ASPCAT), which shows that in 2023 there were 530 cases and that this year already 342 cases have been recorded. Registration was completed in just a month and a half. The number of outbreaks also increased: from 67 last year, to 45 between January and February of 2024. The outbreaks were concentrated in Valles area.

Whooping cough is Highly contagious respiratory infectionIt is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis and can be serious, especially in children. Although it shows symptoms similar to the common cold, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and, in the worst cases, bouts of unconsciousness.

Medical guidelines against this disease have been established since 1984 in the systematic vaccination schedule. From then on, doses are given after two, four and eleven months. At the ages of six, fourteen, forty, and sixty-five, other reminder doses are given. However, although the immune coverage in the first years of life is about 95%, a significant rise in cases was detected in 2011: the rate of infected people increased fivefold in one year, from 325 cases in 2010 to 1,572 in 2011. Since then, the number has not been less than a thousand patients annually, and in 2015 it reached a significant peak with 3,435 cases, the largest since vaccination began in 1984. In that year there were 5,745 cases.

Whooping cough is a cyclical disease and is detected Every four or five years. Groups that can suffer from a more complex picture are pregnant women and children under one year of age.