Health IQ: Rising whooping cough cases across Canada

What’s behind the spike in whooping cough cases?

Whooping cough cases continue to increase in multiple provinces, but as kids head back to school, doctors and health-care professionals say there could be multiple factors behind the spike.

The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, typically shows up seven to 10 days after being infected and its symptoms usually start with a mild fever, runny nose and a cough, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Quebec is seeing the biggest jump, surpassing pre-pandemic levels with more than 11,000 cases as of last week, while New Brunswick declared an outbreak on Aug. 22 with 141 cases — exceeding the five-year average.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital, said vaccination access could be a factor.

Some groups of people may not have access to vaccinations through a family doctor or public health clinic; others may be choosing not to vaccinate, and there could also be people who missed a dose of a vaccine due to COVID-19 disruptions to health care, Bogoch said.

“Some of it might be related to the natural history of this particular infection where every five or six years there seems to be more of this infection around,” he said. “Some of it might be related to lower vaccine rates. Some of it might be related to waning vaccination over time.”

Read more about what may be behind the spike in whooping cough cases and how to protect yourself.

What to do about parental stress

Parents are feeling stressed, and a new report from the United States is urging policymakers to create a culture that prioritizes mental health support for caregivers.

The report by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that 33 per cent of parents reported high levels of stress in August compared with 20 per cent of other adults.

“This population experiences a range of unique stressors that come with raising children; including common demands of parenting, financial strain and economic instability, time demands, concerns about children’s health and safety, parental isolation and loneliness, difficulty managing technology and social media, and cultural pressures,” the report said.

“I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we value and prioritize the mental health and well-being of parents. I am also outlining policies, programs, and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers,” Vivek Murthy said in a statement.

Some of the changes suggested include helping ensure parents and caregivers can get paid time off to be with a sick child, secure affordable child care and access reliable mental health care.

The stress that parents are experiencing in the U.S. may be similar to what those in Canada are facing, according to Michael Cooper, vice-president of Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC).

A 2023 MHRC report said anxiety levels were especially high for younger Canadian parents, particularly those younger than 29.

The report noted that a lack of access to care or support was a major factor for many young mothers, especially during the pandemic.

Read more about the report on parental stress here.

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Oropouche fever and pregnant travellers

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Pregnant people should carefully consider their travel plans to certain countries in the Americas due to outbreaks of Oropouche fever, a potentially serious insect-transmitted virus, the Canadian government warned last week.

More than 8,000 cases of Oropouche fever have been confirmed in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, with the virus now spreading to Cuba for the first time.

There is currently no specific vaccine or treatment for Oropouche fever, which is part of the same family of diseases as Zika and dengue fever.

Oropouche fever is transmitted by small insects like midges and mosquitoes, and while there is no documented human-to-human transmission, there is concern that the virus could spread from a pregnant person to their unborn baby. Potential negative pregnancy outcomes include stillbirth and congenital microcephaly, a condition affecting brain development.

As a precaution, the Canadian government has issued a Level 1 travel advisory for Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, urging pregnant travellers to follow strict bug bite prevention measures and consult with their health-care provider before travelling.

“Until more evidence is available, pregnant people travelling to affected destinations are advised to strictly follow bug bite prevention recommendations, and to discuss the risks of their travel plans with their health care provider,” the advisory states.

Pregnant travellers and others are recommended to consult their health-care provider at least six weeks before they travel.