WBay.com Wisconsin is seeing a growing number of whooping cough cases. So far this year, the state has four times the number of cases since last year.
No deaths have been reported. Doctors are stressing the importance of prevention and treatment.
Whooping cough has a lengthy incubation period, meaning we can see numbers jump rather quickly because it can spread fast.
So far this year, 278 reported cases of whooping cough have occurred in the state. Last year there were just 51 reported cases. Dr. Jim Conway with UW-Health is a pediatric infectious disease doctor, he’s also the medical director of the immunization program in Madison.
He says every few years it’s typical to see what he calls “a blip year” in a disease or illness. He says seeing a couple hundred cases, means we could see a big jump in the coming weeks
“One of my professors used to say, for every case of whooping cough that we diagnose there’s probably 10 others out there in the community,” said Dr. Conway.