Alabama schools hit with whooping cough outbreaks: What parents need to know

Pertussis cases continue to pop up across Alabama as public health officials confirm a drastic increase in 2024.

This week, Creekside Elementary School in Harvest notified parents that a case of pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, was reported at the school, according to News 19 .

This follows at least four other cases that have been reported in Alabama schools over the last few weeks.

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) previously confirmed whooping cough outbreaks in schools in Limestone, Madison, Jackson and Lauderdale Counties.

The agency told News 19 it has received reports of 124 cases of the disease so far this year, compared to the 41 cases reported in 2023.

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Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that whooping cough cases were climbing back up to pre-pandemic levels.

As of October, 18,506 cases of whooping cough had been reported so far in 2024, according to the CDC. That's the most at this point in the year since 2014 , when cases topped 21,800.

Whooping cough is caused by bacteria infecting the mouth, nose and throat and is spread through the air by coughing. Symptoms can appear 5 to 21 days after infection and can usually be treated by a five-day antibiotic course, according to the ADPH.

Schools are advising parents to take their child to a physician if they have cold symptoms followed by a cough.

The ADPH and the CDC also strongly recommend that parents look into the new whooping cough booster "Tdap," for children 11 years and older.

In Alabama, the "Dtap" Pertussis vaccine is given until 7 years of age and vaccine protection begins to fade in older children. The booster helps increase protection for adolescent students, who public health officials say are getting hit the hardest this year.