‘Highly contagious’: Mass. health officials tracking increases in whooping cough, pneumonia

now at 10:30 parents don't want to hear this whooping cough cases they are on the Rise Boston 25 news reporter Drew K has chatted with the doctor about the warning signs Drew you're live in Boston for us tonight yes Rachel the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is monitoring this uptick in whooping cough cases closely hoping to prevent Community outbreaks at schools and daycare centers this bacterial infection is often called The 100 day cough because coughing symptoms can last for as long as 3 months a warning from Massachusetts Health officials about an upward pattern of whooping cough cases rising to prepandemic levels is reaching parents with young children like the wagons they're still going to go to preschool they're still going to play with friends hopefully they don't get sick these Boston parents who have a three-year-old and a one-year-old say it's tough to protect them from getting sick during the colder months I feel like they have runny noses every other week this time of year that's how doctors say whooping cough starts before it gets worse first come the cold-like symptoms including runny nose sneezing and a cough that can last for one to two weeks and slowly worsen followed by strong uncontrolled coughing spells that can be accompanied by a whooping noise during inhalation violent coughing fits can last for up to 12 weeks and in some cases longer if you see it up close and personal like I did in my family you definitely don't want it Dr Dr Shir Deron chief of infection control officer at tus medicine explains what could be behind the recent uptick in whooping cough cases what happens when you have low levels of a communicable disease is that the community's immunity is low which can be followed then in the next year by or in a subsequent year by high levels for babies and very young children the illness can be life-threatening derone says vaccination is the best way for people to protect themselves and loved ones and also stresses the importance of taking antibiotics to eliminate the contagious period and whooping cough is known for being tough to catch early on because it starts with such mild symptoms Health experts say the spiking cases they're seeing involves not only children but also young adults they say they're also seeing an uptick in walking pneumonia cases in that same population we're live in Boston tonight Drew Aras for your local station Boston 2 five new