By Jeff Wirick
With cases of measles and whooping cough rising nationwide, Dr. Michael Colli said he has more parents’ attention.
“When the numbers are low, those conversations are harder because you’re trying to protect against this mystery virus,” said Dr. Colli, a pediatrician from Keystone Health in Chambersburg, Pa. “Once (the numbers) start to go up, it becomes easier.”
Through Sept. 9, measles cases are four times higher in 2024 than all of 2023 (247 compared to 58), according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. has experienced a similar uptick with whooping cough, with cases also four times higher in 2024.
Here are four things everyone should know about this sudden surge:
- Measles and whooping cough can cause serious health problems.
Both can cause serious and lasting health effects, especially with children.
“Measles is not just a rash,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blue Cross. “It can have very serious complications, including ear infections that lead to permanent hearing loss, pneumonia, and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).”
For whooping cough (also called pertussis), Dr. Colli said infants are at greatest risk because their immune systems are still developing.
“The younger you are when you get it, the more devastating it can be,” he said.
- Measles is extremely contagious
Achieving herd immunity is different for every virus depending on how contagious it is. Measles spreads so easily that an estimated 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.
Dr. Colli said only two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine can provide lifelong protection for most people.
In most states, children are required to get the MMR vaccine before entering kindergarten. But kindergarten classes in 37 states have rates below the 95 percent needed for herd immunity, according to the CDC.
One of those states is Pennsylvania, which had vaccinated 95 percent of its incoming kindergarteners from 2017-2022 until dropping below that mark for the 2022-2023 school year.
Of the 2024 measles cases through mid-September, the CDC said more than two-thirds involve people under 19, and 87 percent were unvaccinated.
- Whooping cough vaccine is NOT one and done.
Unlike the MMR vaccine, the whooping cough vaccine wanes over time, said Dr. Colli.
The CDC recommends everyone receive five doses of the pertussis vaccine between 2 months and 6 years of age, with a final dose at age 11 or 12. Pregnant women also should receive it.
Whooping cough is most dangerous to infants, but Dr. Colli said teens and adults also should follow CDC guidelines.
“The best thing we can do to protect our infants is to make sure all the adults around them are vaccinated with a recent Tdap booster,” he said.
- Outbreaks impact entire communities
Outbreaks inflict painful consequences that can ripple through entire communities. A study from the journal Pediatrics estimated that a 2021 measles outbreak in Washington state cost $1 million in lost workforce production.
In 2016, Dr. Colli helped address a whooping cough outbreak in Chambersburg that started in a local school.
With similar outbreaks occurring in 2024, including at a school in Montgomery County (Pa.), doctors are again calling to ramp up vaccinations.
“The real risk lies in not getting vaccinated,” Dr. Wigginton said. “It leaves yourself, your family, and others in your community vulnerable.”
Because they are a preventive measure, MMR and pertussis vaccines are covered by most plans offered by Capital Blue Cross if you meet the CDC criteria.
