Data analysis - Rise in whooping cough cases post corona pandemic.
The number of whooping cough cases in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has surged after the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, only six cases were reported, while the count rose to 28 in 2022, and reached 102 in the previous year, as per data from the State Health and Social Office. Historically, the numbers were higher too. For instance, by the 21st calendar week, there were 30 reports of whooping cough cases in the ongoing year, a slight improvement over the 65 recorded in 2023.
Whooping cough can't be completely eradicated, despite vaccination or natural infection offering limited protection. The health minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Stefanie Drese, responded to a query from the German Press Agency by saying that the current vaccination strategy focuses on providing comprehensive protection for highly vulnerable infants and toddlers in their early stages. This helps build a basic immunization against whooping cough.
"Given that whooping cough can be dangerous for newborns, vaccinations ought to be administered as early, complete, and in line with vaccination guidelines as possible," Drese added. She further emphasized the significance of booster shots for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as pregnant women who help transfer protective antibodies to infants via vaccinations. This layer of protection serves as a shield until the infants develop their own immunity.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease, with the first and second stages resembling a common cold. Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, and mild or even no fever. The second stage, which lasts four to six weeks, brings on paroxysmal coughing fits that can result in violent coughing fits, vomiting, and retching. These bouts of coughing are common in the third stage when the disease gradually subsides. However, a persistent cough can last for months, even though the infection has run its course.
Whooping cough is caused by bacteria and is transmitted primarily through droplet infection from sneezing, coughing, and speaking. The infectious period is highest in the first two weeks of infection and can last for up to five weeks post-onset. The disease is named for the whooping sound produced during coughing fits.
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The rise in whooping cough cases in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during the Corona pandemic is a concerning health statistic, as seen in the data from the State Health and Social Office. Despite vaccination offering limited protection, whooping cough remains a threat, especially for newborns, prompting early and complete vaccinations as per vaccination guidelines. The corona pandemic seems to have disrupted the typical trajectory of whooping cough cases, with 30 reports in the 21st calendar week of 2022, a slight improvement over the 65 recorded in 2023.
