In recent days, the Anchorage School District has confirmed cases of pertussisa highly contagious, vaccine-preventable respiratory disease, in at least six schools.

Nationwide, whooping cough leads to hospitalizations and even the death of an infant. Here’s what medical experts Kathy Bell, a nurse and director of the Anchorage School District’s health department, and state epidemiologist Joseph McLaughlin say Alaskans should know about whooping cough:

What is pertussis?

Whooping cough is a contagious bacterial respiratory disease that leads to long, persistent bouts of coughing so severe that it can cause vomiting. A distinctive “whooping” sound that coughers make as they struggle for breath is the reason for the disease’s other name, whooping cough. Most children are vaccinated against whooping cough as infants and children.

What happens now?

Alaska is in the midst of a whooping cough epidemic. So far the state has recorded 234 cases this year, according to McLaughlin, an epidemiologist with the Alaska Division of Public Health. By comparison, the year with the most cases before that was 2016, when 149 cases were reported across the country.

The same thing is happening nationally, McLaughlin said — after years of low numbers during the coronavirus pandemic, the disease is resurgent and circulating. In August, four times as many cases were reported as at the same time in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Part of the reason may be the suppression of whooping cough during the Covid-19 pandemic due to mitigation measures such as masking and distancing, the CDC says.

“It’s been a while since we’ve really had a significant epidemic of whooping cough, and I think that’s contributing to the large number of cases that we’re seeing this year,” McLaughlin said.

Still, the public doesn’t need to brace for the kinds of mitigation measures seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, including school closures, said Bell, the ASD health director. That’s because whooping cough is a known disease that can be treated with antibiotics and is preventable with vaccination, she said.

Who is most at risk?

Babies, especially newborns, are most at risk for whooping cough because they can’t clear secretions and develop breathing difficulties or organ problems, Bell said. In Alaska, one infant has died of pertussis this year, according to McLaughlin. There have been more than a dozen hospitalizations, mostly of children younger than 2, McLaughlin said. Pertussis can cause violent coughing fits that continue for weeks and even months – in some parts of the world it’s known as the “100-day cough” because it can take so long to recover. Elderly or immunocompromised people may also be at risk for the most severe manifestations of the disease.

What about adults?

Adults can receive a booster vaccine that includes protection against whooping cough every 10 years. If you want to know if you have a current pertussis vaccine and when you got it, Bell said you can download the Docket app, which provides access to personal and family vaccination records. Immunity wanes over time, but “still provides pretty robust protection after five years,” McLaughlin said.

What role do vaccines play?

By the end of July, most Alaskans had completed their pertussis vaccine series, although the margins were not large. The state’s public health department says:

• For children 19-35 months old, 65% have completed their pertussis vaccine series.

• For children aged 5-6 years, 62% are current with their pertussis vaccine.

• For young people aged 13-17 years, 69% received a vaccine that protects against whooping cough.

• For adults 18 years and older, 65% have at least one pertussis vaccine.

In Alaska, the law requires families to vaccinate their children — including the pertussis vaccine — or apply for a medical or religious exemption to enroll their children in school. Families must sign and certify a form stating that vaccination is “contrary to the principles and practices of the church or religious community.” The state says “personal or philosophical exemptions are not permitted under state law.”

A large number of district families sought such exemptions this fall: A total of 1,204 children in the Anchorage School District were not vaccinated for whooping cough in September 2024, according to district data. Of these, 1,018 were religious exemptions, 140 were medical exemptions, and 46 were military transfers or transition child exemptions.

The total number of vaccine exemptions increased slightly from the previous school year, when there were a total of 1,182. Students in kindergarten, first or second grade accounted for 35% of the religious exemptions.

“It’s an individual choice. We can’t force people to get vaccines,” Bell said. “But they were developed for a reason.”

Can you get sick if you are vaccinated?

It’s possible to get a breakthrough illness even if you’re vaccinated, but symptoms should be less severe, experts say. About half of the children who have tested positive for pertussis in ASD schools have been unvaccinated, Bell said. And more than half of the total number of pertussis cases recorded in the state have been among unvaccinated people, according to McLaughlin.

What should you do if you or a family member gets sick?

If you or a family member is sick with symptoms of whooping cough, go to the doctor and get tested, experts say — but be aware that it can take up to a week to get test results. A doctor will likely start a course of antibiotics right away, and you may end that course of antibiotics before you know if you actually tested positive for whooping cough, Bell said. People can be contagious for weeks. It’s most important, Bell said, to protect infants, especially those young enough not to have received their first dose of the vaccine.

Early symptoms of whooping cough can mirror those of other illnesses going around, including RSV and COVID-19, McLaughlin said, so it’s good to know for sure.

“It’s kind of challenging right now to be in the middle of a whooping cough epidemic when you have all these other viruses that cause very similar symptoms during the onset of the disease,” he said.

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