3 babies hospitalized in King County amid whooping cough outbreak

Whooping cough is on the rise in King County, in large part because kids got behind on their vaccines during the pandemic. Three infants have been hospitalized in the current outbreak.

Whooping cough starts with cold-like symptoms, including a runny nose and a dry cough. After a week or two, people typically start to get coughing attacks that can cause vomiting and difficulty breathing. That severe coughing can last for three months.

The illness can be serious for anyone — but it’s most dangerous for babies, who can struggle to breathe.

Public health officials say if your child has severe and sudden coughing fits, or is coughing so much they’re having trouble sleeping, they may have whooping cough and should see a health care provider. The earlier in the disease they get antibiotics, the better.

More than 100 people in the county have gotten whooping cough so far this year. That’s almost four times as many as all of last year.

“It’s hard to know where we are at in this wave,” said Libby Page, the immunization program manager at the county’s public health agency. “We’re consistently seeing reported cases every week, so we don’t think we’re over the hump.”

The county’s public health department is urging everyone — especially kids and pregnant people — to catch up on their shots before school starts in the fall, when diseases can spread quickly as kids come together in classrooms. The county and state are hosting upcoming vaccine clinics at school and community sites.

Children are supposed to get five doses of the vaccine before kindergarten, but about three in 10 school-aged children in King County are behind on these shots.

To protect babies from severe whooping cough, health providers recommend that pregnant people get the pertussis vaccine early in the third trimester. That way, their baby will be born with protection from the disease. The county doesn’t have data on maternal vaccination here, but nationwide, less than half of pregnant people get the recommended pertussis vaccine.

Adults are supposed to get booster shots every decade, or more often if they plan to spend time with infants.

About two-thirds of local whooping cough cases this year have been in South King County.

“There is lower vaccine coverage across the board in South King County," Page said. “There are barriers to health care access and use. Crowded housing and other factors increase the likelihood of spread of diseases like whooping cough, and they can also delay diagnosis and access to treatments.”