After initially impacting the West Nipissing area, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has now declared a whooping cough outbreak across the region.
Since January, 16 confirmed cases of pertussis have been reported to the health unit.
Officials say that’s an increase from the previous five years, which saw an average of 3.8 cases per year.
“With the increase of cases throughout the health unit area, many of whom are not linked to each other, it is clear there is community spread throughout the Nipissing and Parry Sound districts,” says Dr. Carol Zimbalatti, Medical Officer of Health.
The health unit says pertussis is an infection that affects the airways that can easily spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Early symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, low fever, and a mild cough that gets worse over two weeks, often ending in a ‘whooping’ sound.
The health unit is urging the public to ensure all their vaccines are up to date, including their pertussis vaccine.
