Across Canada, a disease that most people picture as a childhood nuisance from another era is returning in force. Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, is climbing in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, with numbers that dwarf what these provinces saw in the years before the pandemic. It is a reminder that the diseases we hold at bay with vaccines are never fully gone, only waiting for gaps in protection to open.
Whooping Cough Cases Surge Across Canada, With Quebec Far Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
Whooping cough can be very serious and even life-threatening, especially for very young children, according to Canada's chief public health officer.
"We call it the 100-day cough."
Mark
Quebec's number is the headline. Why does 11,670 land so hard?
Mimi
Because the comparison is stark. The province averaged 562 cases a year from 2015 to 2019, and even its last peak, in 2019, was 1,269.
Luke
Worth saying where that comes from: a health ministry spokesperson's email. It's an official figure, but the report doesn't say whether it covers confirmed cases only or the full year to date.
Mark
And it's mostly older kids?
Mimi
Ages 10 to 14 make up the majority of patients in Quebec. But Dr. Tam stressed the danger is greatest for very young children.
Luke
Those are two different statements. Nothing here says how many infants have been affected, or how many people have been hospitalized.
Mark
Ontario and New Brunswick show the same trend?
Mimi
Yes. Ontario has 470 cases as of June against a five-year average of 98, and New Brunswick declared an outbreak with 141 cases against an average of 34.
Luke
Note the Ontario count stops at June, while Quebec's runs to a later date. They aren't a clean side-by-side.
Mark
Officials say the disease is cyclical. Does that explain it?
Mimi
It offers context, since increases come every two to five or six years. The report doesn't say why this surge is so large.
Luke
Right. Cyclical is a pattern, not a cause. The article doesn't assess vaccination rates, so I wouldn't draw a link from this reporting.
El Pulso
- Quebec has logged more than 11,670 whooping cough cases this year, against a pre-pandemic yearly average of 562.
- Most of the sick are between 10 and 14 years old, and the illness can turn life-threatening for very young children.
- New Brunswick has declared an outbreak with 141 cases, while Toronto and Ottawa are already running at more than double their usual annual counts.
- Health officials are pressing for surveillance and higher vaccination coverage, and the watch now is whether provincial counts keep climbing and other regions declare outbreaks.
Across Canada, a disease that most people picture as a childhood nuisance from another era is returning in force. Pertussis, better known as whooping cough, is climbing in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, with numbers that dwarf what these provinces saw in the years before the pandemic. It is a reminder that the diseases we hold at bay with vaccines are never fully gone, only waiting for gaps in protection to open.
Quebec has now recorded more than 11,670 cases of whooping cough this year, while the province averaged just 562 a year between 2015 and 2019. The figures, provided by the province's health ministry, show most patients are between 10 and 14 years old. The 2019 peak of 1,269 cases now looks modest by comparison.
Ontario is seeing the same pattern on a smaller scale, with 470 cases recorded by June against a five-year average of 98. Toronto and Ottawa have each passed double their typical pre-pandemic annual totals. New Brunswick declared an outbreak last week after counting 141 cases, far above its usual 34.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, warned that the disease can be very serious and even deadly for very young children. She noted that it earns its nickname, the 100-day cough, from how long the coughing lasts. The illness is highly contagious but preventable with vaccination. Officials describe it as cyclical, and the Pan American Health Organization urged countries in July to strengthen surveillance and vaccination. The coming months will show whether these counts keep rising and whether more provinces follow New Brunswick in declaring outbreaks.
Quebec has now recorded more than 11,670 cases of whooping cough this year. In the five years from 2015 to 2019, the province averaged 562 a year. That gap is the sharpest figure in a set of numbers from across the country that point the same way: pertussis, as the disease is formally known, is climbing in Canada.
The Quebec figures came from a spokesperson for the province's health ministry, who wrote to The Canadian Press. Most patients, the spokesperson said, are between 10 and 14 years old. The last peak in the province was in 2019, when 1,269 cases were reported, so this year's total is roughly nine times that earlier high.
Ontario's numbers are smaller but move in the same direction. A provincial dashboard shows 470 cases as of June, against a five-year average of 98. Toronto has reported 99 cases so far this year and Ottawa 76, and in both cities that is more than double the pre-pandemic annual average.
In New Brunswick, an outbreak was declared last week. The province has counted 141 cases so far, well above its five-year average of 34 a year.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said last week that whooping cough is on the rise across the country. In an interview on Friday, she described it as a disease that can be very serious and even life-threatening, especially for very young children. She also pointed to how long it lasts. "We call it the 100-day cough," she said, adding that it can mean a significant amount of coughing for a very long time.
The illness begins with cold-like symptoms, then develops over several weeks into a persistent cough with spells that often end in a "whoop" as the person catches their breath. It is highly contagious, and it is preventable with vaccination.
Public health officials describe whooping cough as cyclical, with increases every two to five or six years, which gives some context for the current rise. The pattern is not confined to Canada. Cases have also risen in the United States and elsewhere, and in July the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert encouraging countries to step up surveillance and vaccination coverage.
What to watch next is whether the provincial counts keep growing through the rest of the year, and whether other provinces follow New Brunswick in declaring outbreaks.
Citas Notables
We call it the 100-day cough. It can lead to a significant amount of coughing for a very long time.— Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer
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