Thanks to festive gatherings, close quarters and mass travel, the holiday season has meant respiratory illnesses are circulating widely in the community, as they do every year. But this season, in addition to more common viral illnesses, providers are reporting elevated levels of whooping cough and walking pneumonia.
County and state health officials track emergency department visits for flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19 each winter, and the Washington State Department of Health maintains a respiratory illness data dashboard that is updated weekly.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services Communications Specialist Marie Duckworth said on Tuesday, Dec. 31 that emergency department visits with a general respiratory illness diagnosis are at their highest level so far this winter, but the numbers are still below those of past years.
While the health department doesn’t track urgent care visits, calls to some local clinics indicated wait times of up to three hours on Dec. 31. Some of the hold-up in seeing health care providers may be attributable to a couple more unusual bugs.
Whatcom County has seen a high number of whooping cough, or pertussis, cases starting in October. With a current rate of 73 confirmed or suspected pertussis cases per hundred thousand people, Whatcom County is ranked sixth in the state for pertussis. The illness is extremely contagious, has a relatively long incubation period and is dangerous for young children, pregnant individuals and immunocompromised people.
“Right now we are seeing the highest rates of pertussis that we have seen in the last 10 years,” said Dr. Amy Harley, Whatcom County health officer and a local pediatrician. “This disease starts like a cold but then can progress to serious illness, especially for babies and people with significant lung conditions. When vaccinated people do get infected, it causes more mild illness. Without any protection, even otherwise healthy people can develop a very prolonged miserable cough.”
Skagit County currently has a lower rate of pertussis, with 17 cases reported as of Dec. 21.
“Walking” pneumonia, a mild lung infection generally caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is also on the rise this season, with Whatcom County trends mirroring those across the state and nation. Duckworth said there’s no clear cause but the increase does match the rising occurrence of illness now that pandemic practices like social distancing, mask wearing and good hand hygiene aren’t as common.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends basic health practices to avoid respiratory illness or prevent their spread: Stay home if you are sick, avoid crowded indoor spaces, mask up, wash your hands with soap and water, and get vaccinated.
“Vaccination is important for everyone to prevent severe infection, not just for kids,” Dr. Harley said. “Many people fell behind on routine vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I encourage everyone to take a moment to check their pertussis vaccination status, especially those who are around babies that aren’t fully protected yet. Staying up to date protects you and your loved ones, and increases immunity within our broader community to help stop the spread.”
Similarly, Skagit Regional Health, a health care network that includes Skagit Valley Hospital, Cascade Valley Hospital and outpatient clinics throughout Skagit, Island and north Snohomish counties, encourages community members to get vaccinated against diseases for which vaccines are available, and where the risk of infection is high without vaccination.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
