CDC: Ohio leading nation in whooping cough cases
Ohio is leading the nation in whooping cough cases, a rare and serious sickness.
News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott broke down the staggering numbers on News Center 7 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows Ohio has reported 632 cases just this year, which is 100 more than New York. There have been more than 4,000 cases nationwide.
>> Previous Coverage: Whooping cough cases are on the rise locally, health officials say
There have been nine cases of whooping cough in Miami County this year, three of them being an entire family.
To stop the spread, doctors are pushing people to get vaccinated.
Doctor Bruce Vanderhoff said it’s not surprising illnesses like whooping cough are spreading.
Dayton Children’s has had nearly 120 whooping cough cases since September.
Montgomery County has clocked 73 cases from August to this week.
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In Warren County, 14 people in just the last month have had the cough when last year only one person had it.
When Nada Elaka’s son got sick last week, she said it was scary.
“It was just a very bad cough. He wasn’t feeling well. We had to skip school for almost a week,” Elaka said.
Elaka said her son was not vaccinated.
Not vaccinating children is what Vanderhoff says only adds to the problem.
“Vaccines are our best and most essential tool of prevention it is far better to protect our children from getting these than deal with the aftermath that can include hospitalization or death,” Vanderhoff said.
Elaka said her son recovered by taking amoxicillin, but as News Center 7 previously reported less than a month ago, there is a shortage of that medication. As cases keep rising, it’s going to be that much tougher to find.
