Whooping Cough Cases on the Rise in Washington State

Washington state has see a rapid increase in whooping cough cases this year.

The infectious cough is spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Washington. Benton County has reported two confirmed cases and one case is confirmed in Walla Walla County. Grant County has reported 21 confirmed cases with 7 suspected cases since June. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

The number of people reported with whooping cough, also known as pertussis, are rising in the United States. As of June 1 this year, more than double the cases of whooping cough were reported as of this date in 2023. Whooping cough is returning to its more typical pre-pandemic cyclic patterns of more than 10,000 cases a year.

Get our free mobile app

What are symptoms of whooping cough?

It usually takes 5-10 days for symptoms to develop after exposure to the bacteria that causes whooping cough. Sometimes, symptoms don't develop for as log as 3 weeks. Early symptoms include:

• Runny or stuffed up nose
• Low grade fever...(less than 100.4°F)
• Mild occasional cough

Later symptoms include coughing fits (rapid, violent, and uncontrolled)

The coughing fits usually last 1-6 weeks, however can last up to 10 weeks. People who experience these coughing fits say it's the worst cough of their lives. The fits cause people to:

• Make a high-pitched "whoop" when they inhale after a coughing fit
• Vomit during or after coughing fits
• Feel very tired after the fit, but usually seem well in-between fits
• Have difficulty sleeping at night
• Struggle to breathe
• Fracture (break) a rib