The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department will release new whooping cough case numbers Tuesday after a spike over the last six weeks. Department spokesman Kevin Hall said the city’s in the middle of an outbreak and more positive tests for the disease, also known as pertussis, won’t be a surprise.
“This is really unusual, because we have 27 confirmed cases since April 26 and that is more than the previous five years combined. Since 2019 up until the start of this outbreak, we only had 16 total cases.”
Hall said some of that increase is related to more people paying attention to symptoms, which don’t always include the trademark cough that gave pertussis its nickname.
“The sooner that you can get diagnosed, the sooner you can get on some antibiotics prescribed to you by your medical provider. It is worth remembering that people with mild symptoms are highly contagious if they have whooping cough.”
Hall said most of the 27 people who’ve tested positive for whooping cough in the last six weeks were vaccinated – but noted the effectiveness of the TDAP vaccine wears off over time. He said adults who are around babies – the most susceptible to the disease – should consider getting a booster.
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