Massachusetts tracking increases in whooping cough, pneumonia, encourage vaccination

Alison Kuznitz

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, NOV. 13, 2024……State health officials are monitoring increasing cases of whooping cough and pneumonia.

Children and adolescents are primarily affected by those bacterial respiratory illnesses, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Wednesday as he urged clinicians and families to be on the look-out for potential symptoms.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a “highly contagious acute respiratory illness” that starts with mild symptoms, Goldstein said. Infected individuals later develop a severe cough that can be followed by vomiting, he said.

“Following a significant decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of pertussis in Massachusetts are increasing to pre-pandemic levels, particularly among adolescents,” Goldstein told the Public Health Council Wednesday morning. He added, “Importantly, pertussis is vaccine preventable. Everyone should be up to date with their pertussis vaccine to prevent disease.”

The Department of Public Health is also watching the spread of bacteria that can cause walking pneumonia and trigger community outbreaks. Goldstein said symptoms include “persistent” cough, fever and fatigue, though they can be mild and “do not always require hospitalization.”

“In recent weeks, clinicians in Massachusetts have reported higher than usual number of pneumonia cases, particularly among children and young adults,” Goldstein said. “Syndromic surveillance, using data from hospital emergency department visits, show emergency department visits for pneumonia caused by mycoplasma are at very high levels over the past several weeks.”

As for other respiratory illnesses, Goldstein said COVID-19, the flu and RSV are at low levels, but warned that cases will rise this winter.

“We’re amplifying the message that getting vaccinated today will benefit you, your family, your friends and your community in the future,” Goldstein said. “Flu, COVID-19 and RSV can spread fast this time of year as people gather together more often inside, and vaccines significantly cut the risk of getting really sick or being hospitalized from a respiratory illness.”

DPH offers at-home COVID and flu vaccinations for individuals who have difficulty getting the shots at health care or community settings, Goldstein said. DPH also provides free telehealth services for Bay Staters who need a Paxlovid prescription after contracting COVID, he said.