Health authorities report double the number of whooping cough cases this year.

Agência Brasil – The number of confirmed cases of whooping cough in the country doubled in the first half of this year compared to the entire year of 2010. Up to August, 583 cases were registered, compared to 291 last year, according to data from the Ministry of Health. São Paulo was one of the states with the highest number of registered cases of the disease, rising from 176 in 2010 to 183 cases in 2011. Children are the group most susceptible to whooping cough.

Despite the increase in cases this year, the ministry denies an outbreak of the disease in the country. According to the federal government, every five years there is an increase in the number of cases, and then they fall again. This seasonality is related to the percentage of children vaccinated each year, since it is estimated that 5% of children fail to be vaccinated and, over time, there is an accumulation of unprotected children.

The schedule calls for the pertussis vaccine along with the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine, starting at 2 months of age and continuing until 7 years of age, providing protection for almost a decade. There is no vaccination schedule for adults.

The government is not considering including the adult vaccine in health centers because it does not consider it an efficient strategy, since less than 30% of the adult population adheres to vaccination campaigns. The recommendation from health authorities is to reinforce vaccination among children and for parents to update their children's vaccination records. The ministry highlights that, in the 90s, the country registered more than 15 cases of pertussis per year. With the use of the vaccine, the numbers began to decrease.

According to José Hugo Pessoa, a pediatrician at the Paulista Medical Association (APM), the increase in cases of pertussis is related to the transmission of the disease from adults to children. In adulthood, pertussis manifests in a mild form and is often confused with other illnesses. Therefore, adults can transmit it to children unknowingly. In childhood, especially among those under 1 year of age, there is a greater risk of complications, such as the development of pneumonia. "In adults, the severity is low. In the first months of life, there are more complications," said the pediatrician. "It's a warning sign," he added, regarding the increase in cases.

Caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, whooping cough affects the respiratory system, causing coughing fits in a single breath, known as whooping cough. Other symptoms include difficulty breathing and post-cough vomiting. The disease is transmitted by talking, coughing, or sneezing.