County health officials report increase in whooping cough

Fernanda Lopez Halvorson

County of San Diego Communications Office

Increasing cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have county health officials recommending that people get vaccinated, particularly those most at risk of becoming seriously ill.

The number of pertussis illnesses jumped from 12 in September to 57 in October. Spikes in pertussis happen every three to five years. The last peak was in 2017. The current rise in illness reports is the first since the COVID-19 pandemic when COVID-19 prevention steps also kept pertussis down.

“We’re seeing pertussis spreading in rates simil...