Health experts urge families to vaccinate as whooping cough cases increase in Michigan

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Attention is being called to a growing spread of whooping cough cases across Michigan, according to health experts. 

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) raised concerns on Monday about an increase in cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, while urging families to get vaccinated. 

Whooping cough cases across the state surpassed reports from 2023, according to the MDHHS. This coincides with a return to pre-pandemic patterns of increasing cases per year in the US. Health experts say between 2017 and 2019, Michigan averaged 596 cases of whooping cough each year. 

Meanwhile, there have been 830 confirmed cases in 2024 reported to the MDHHS, as of Oct. 28.

What do early symptoms of whooping cough look like?

The MDHHS says early signs of pertussis can look like a common cold and can take up to five to ten days for symptoms to appear after exposure. 

Experts warn that babies and young children may not cough, but they may have pauses in their breathing, causing their skin to look bluish or cause shortness of breath. This is called apnea. 

Later symptoms can include uncontrolled coughing fits.

Is whooping cough deadly?

Pertussis can cause serious illness in people of all ages, and is more likely to be severe and even deadly for infants, according to the MDHHS. 

In 2024, the median age of cases in 2024 was 13 years and 75% of cases were people under the age of 18.

Do I really need the whooping cough vaccine?

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends infants, children, adolescents and people who are pregnant should be vaccinated against pertussis. 

They also recommend a dose of the vaccine for adults who have not received a dose as an adolescent or adult.

"Vaccinations continue to be our top line of defense against the spread of pertussis," said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. "With a declining rate of immunizations, we are unfortunately seeing a rise in pertussis and other vaccine preventable diseases statewide. We encourage all Michiganders to stay up to date with their immunization schedule."

According to the MDHHS, Michigan is continuing to see declining childhood immunization rates, which means more children are at risk for severe whooping cough symptoms. 

Experts say 82.9% of children have received their first dose of Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTaP) vaccine by the time they are three months old in Michigan, but only 65.6% of 19-month-olds received all four recommended doses.

For more information on whooping cough, you can visit the CDC's website by tapping here.