‘Quindemic’ concerns among winter illnesses

Four years ago, COVID-19 brought us the pandemic. Last year, the combination of COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) brought the "triple-demic." This year, it's a "quindemic", fueled by a rise in Pertussis (whooping cough) and Mycoplasma Pneumonia (walking pneumonia).

The CDC has warned that a spring-time surge in walking pneumonia has continued into the fall. Whooping cough has skyrocketed in Washington this year, according to the State's Department of Health (WDOH). This time last year, WDOH reported 51 whooping cough cases. As of last week, the agency reported 1,193 cases.

"Whooping cough is the thing I'm most worried about right now," said Dr. Frank Bell, a pediatric infectious disease physician for Swedish Medical Center.

Bell says whooping cough tends to flare up, outlining 2015 as a particularly notable year and 2010 as even worse. He thinks some lingering effects from the pandemic are fueling this year's activity.

"Kids were spared a lot of infections over those years," Dr. Bell said, "We didn't get a chance for those kids to build up their immunity and now, it's a little bit of playing catch-up time."

Dr. Bell added that vaccines were playing a role as well, "A big part of the issue now is that with COVID, and the difficulty of getting access to healthcare, a lot of preschool kids didn't get up to date."

According to Dr. James Miller, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Officer, vaccines are essential in stopping whooping cough, especially for young children. Additionally, vaccines are not only important for an individual's health, but for the greater population as a whole.

"Before the whooping cough vaccine, we would see hundreds of thousands of cases reported per year and so, this is also really an illustration of how much impact vaccines can have," Dr. Miller said.

While it may be difficult to distinguish between the five respiratory infections currently circulating, both Dr. Miller and Dr. Bell say the treatment for most is the same: Rest and stay home, to prevent others from getting sick.

If an infected person does need to leave the house, a mask can help limit further spread, Dr. Miller says. Dr. Bell notes that most cases of these respiratory diseases will mend themselves in a few days, but parents should take notice if symptoms hang around for a while.

"If your instinct tells you that this has been going on too long, something just isn't right, then that's time to see a provider. And that's particularly true for whooping cough," Dr. Bell said.

RSV strained pediatric capacity in some regions last year, but Dr. Miller says a new monoclonal antibody treatment has been approved to treat young kids this year.

Washington State Department of Health's Care-a-Van program is a mobile health clinic administering vaccines across the state. For those without insurance, the cost can be free.