SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Whooping cough, the highly contagious respiratory virus, is on the rise in San Diego County. The illness is turning up at local doctors' offices and schools just ahead of the holidays.
Candace Gyure has been a nurse with San Diego Unified Schools for 17 years. She said illnesses like whooping cough can spread quickly.
"We know our teenagers love to get together in peer groups and share things, so we do see some clusters in these secondary schools," said Gyure.
She said right now, the number of cases is rising.
This year, there have been a total of about 20 reported cases of whooping cough in the district in the elementary, middle and high schools combined.
"My frame of reference would be last year compared to this year, and it is significantly more active this year," said Gyure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whooping cough can initially look like the common cold.
"The classic thing we think of with whooping cough is this really bad coughing spasm people will have that is followed by this really loud inspiratory whoop after the cough is done," said Dr. Dr. Sheri Plaisted, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente.
The San Diego County Public Health Department said there were 329 cases reported last year. This year, that number jumped to 557, which is an almost 70% increase.
"Certainly can be spread easily in large group settings, so during the holidays with family and friends, in schools," said Dr. Eric Berg, the interim medical director with the County of San Diego.
As for schools, Gyure said not everything is being reported.
"There's probably cases that we're not hearing about," she said.
She's hoping her kids stay healthy, especially for the rest of the year.
Doctors said if you're around newborns during the holiday season, make sure you get the TDAP, which is the vaccine for the illness. Pertussis can be life-threatening to newborns.
