Incidents of whooping cough have spiked in the Central Okanagan according to the Interior Health Authority.
While five or six incidents is typical, there have been 58 cases of whooping cough in the B.C. Interior since Jan. 1 with most clustered in the central Okanagan.
“We just noted an increase in number and we wanted to inform parents and the public,” said public health officer Dr. Kamran Golmohamadi.
Small children are most at risk for contracting the highly infectious disease. While it is associated with a violent cough, the repercussions can be much more severe.
“It can cause inflammation of the lungs, inflammation of the brain and even death,” Golmohamadi told CTV News.
The vaccine is the best way to protect children from whooping cough. Though medical authorities encourage immunization about 30 per cent of parents still choose to hold off.
“We did delayed immunizations,” said parent Sarah Badinski.
The fear of negative side effects nearly led her to completely refrain from immunizations for her children.
“We did lot and lots of research and it was a hard issue, but we decided just to do them because ‘What if?’” she said.
Parents who have chosen to vaccinate their children feel more confident about their decision when they hear about increased incidents of whooping cough.
“You hear all these things but at the end of the day there’s a reason that there’s no polio, you know what I mean? And that’s because of immunization,” said parent Daniel Khan.
Golmohamadi says that the safe and effective whooping cough immunization can practically eliminate the disease. He strongly encourages parents to vaccinate their kids so worries about whooping cough can be put to rest.
With a report from CTV Okanagan’s Kent Molgat
