Quebec - Whooping cough outbreak 2023-2024

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google
Increase in cases of whooping cough in Chaudière-Appalaches

Thursday December 21, 2023 | Communicated

The Public Health Department of the Chaudière Appalaches Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) would like to inform you that there has been a recent increase in cases of whooping cough in the region.

---

---

As the holidays and gatherings approach, be vigilant. If you have uncontrollable coughing fits or a cough followed by vomiting, pauses or difficulty breathing, or a cough that ends in a loud wheezing sound (cock crowing), you may have whooping cough.

• Avoid contact with pregnant women in the 3rd ^trimester ;
• Avoid contact with babies 1 year and under;
• Call 811 or consult a doctor if necessary.

Whooping cough is more serious in children younger than 12 months, especially babies younger than 6 months, who often need to be hospitalized because of the illness.

What to do if you think you have been in contact with a case?

• Parents of a baby under 12 months and pregnant women in their last month of pregnancy should contact 811 for an evaluation;
• For other people, who are not at risk of serious complications, there is no preventive treatment to offer. They can contact 811 if necessary for advice.

To get vaccinated?

Vaccination of children under one year of age and pregnant women between 26 and 32 weeks is the best way to protect babies against serious complications of this disease. For vaccination, make an appointment at a CLSC.

For more information on whooping cough, call 811 or visit the Department of Health and Human Services webpage This hyperlink will open in a new window..

https://www.cisssca.com/actualites/detail/article/augmentation-des-cas-de-coqueluche-en-chaudiere-appalaches

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Increase in cases of whooping cough as the holidays approach

Recrudescence des cas de coqueluche à l’approche des Fêtes - reportage

VINCENT DESBIENS
Friday, December 22, 2023 10:54

UPDATE Friday, December 22, 2023 2:12 p.m.

Whooping cough has made a comeback in Chaudière-Appalaches in recent weeks, with around thirty cases reported. Public Health is asking the population to take this resurgence very seriously as the holidays begin.

Whooping cough is a cyclical disease that returns once every four years, according to public health specialist at the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches Marie-Ève Beauregard.

“We had no cases in 2021-2022. As early as this fall, we expected there to be a resurgence this year. So it’s not surprising, but we still want to warn the population.”

She maintains that the number of reported cases are "only the tip of the iceberg", since in the vast majority of adults and adolescents, the disease causes the same symptoms as a cold or the flu.

“When you are vaccinated against whooping cough when you are young, there are almost no severe symptoms. But it is not because we do not have complications that we are not contagious,” warns Dr. Beauregard .

Infants at risk
As Quebec enters the period of annual celebrations, the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches is asking people who plan to meet a child under 12 months to avoid doing so if they have a bad cough.

"We never know. It is better to be careful and avoid these contacts. If we don't have the choice of being close to a baby, we can also wear a mask, because whooping cough is transmitted by droplets,” continues the specialist doctor contacted by Le Journal .

Beware of pregnant women
Marie-Ève Beauregard also says that women about to carry their pregnancies to term should take precautions.

“Let's take a woman who catches it a few weeks or days before giving birth. Even if it has no symptoms, it is still contagious. Whooping cough for a newborn child who does not yet have any antibodies can lead to serious complications.”

To overcome this possibility, Dr. Beauregard recommends that pregnant women get vaccinated against the disease. This will allow antibodies to be passed on to their offspring before they even come into the world.

“There are still three out of ten women who do not take the vaccine in the region. It would be really important to do it this year. It is also essential to have your child vaccinated at two and four months, because it is before six months that there is the greatest chance of having complications, or even death,” she concludes.

https://www.journaldequebec.com/2023/12/22/recrudescence-des-cas-de-coqueluche-a-lapproche-des-fetes

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Numerous cases of whooping cough detected in Sherbrooke and Magog


Radio-Canada
Published yesterday at 3:01 p.m. CST

Around ten primary and secondary schools in Sherbrooke and Magog are dealing with cases of whooping cough. A total of 52 cases were reported in the region between December 3 and January 28.

In a letter sent to parents by the Sherbrooke Region School Service Center and of which Radio-Canada obtained a copy, it is indicated that the region has experienced an increase in cases of whooping cough since last December .

The Estrie Public Health Department (DSP) wishes to make parents aware that the transmission of this contagious disease could still take place in the coming days and weeks .

In this letter, we remind you that whooping cough is a respiratory infection that is caused by bacteria and that it can last a few weeks. If, at first, the illness resembles a cold, over the weeks, coughing fits set in and they resemble “cock crowing”. These coughs may end with vomiting.

At first, it's difficult to dissociate. The children will have a runny nose, a little fever, a little cough, a common cold, but it will last over time. Sometimes for weeks or even months, there will be very characteristic coughs, like a rooster. If you type whooping cough into YouTube, you will probably see videos to hear it , points out family doctor Benoit Heppell.

Premature babies, children under six months and those who have not received their three doses of vaccine as well as pregnant women at the end of pregnancy are particularly at risk of developing serious complications.


There DSP reminds that people with a fever should stay home and that those with a cough should wear a mask. People with more severe symptoms should contact 811, and those who have been diagnosed will receive an antibiotic and be removed from school.

It is also suggested that pregnant women be vaccinated each time they become pregnant to protect their unborn baby . Simply make an appointment at clicsante.ca.

Anyone who is vaccinated can still get whooping cough, but the symptoms are often less severe.

Children who are vaccinated are less at risk of developing it. They can still develop it, but it is especially those who are not vaccinated who are more at risk than others. I think that, in these situations where we see outbreaks of preventable diseases, we need to think about vaccination if it is not done or is not up to date.
A quote from Benoit Heppell, family doctor at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS

Usually, in Estrie, there are around ten cases of whooping cough each year.

The Sherbrooke Region School Service Center declined Radio-Canada's interview request, referring to theDSPfrom Estrie. As of this writing, she has not responded to our request for an interview.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2046051/maladie-direction-sante-publique-contagion

[sharon sanders]

bump this

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Radio-Canada
Published yesterday at 12:27 p.m. CST

Some 80 cases of whooping cough have been recorded in the Estrie region since December.

This is around thirty more cases than last month, according to data provided by the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS. Between December 3 and January 28, 52 cases were recorded in the region.

They were counted in around ten primary and secondary schools in Sherbrooke and Magog.

Usually, in Estrie, there are around ten cases of whooping cough each year.

Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by bacteria and can last for several weeks.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2050335/infection-coqueluche-ecole-magog-sherbrooke

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

INCREASE IN CASES OF WHOOPING COUGH IN ESTRIE

Published by Sylvie Pion | May 7, 2024 | Regional News

The transmission of whooping cough continues in Estrie. The communications department of the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS specifies that in 2024, more than 450 cases have been confirmed for the region. Currently, the situation remains stable with around 30 cases per week. The 10-14 year old age group is the most affected, followed by the 15-19 year old group, together representing 66.5% of Estrie cases.

The CIUSSS mentions that several infected people attend a primary or secondary school in all territories in the region. The parents were also notified by a letter. The progression of the disease led the Estrie Public Health Department to meet with school service centers as well as private school management so that staff, volunteers and parents could be made aware.

Information on whooping cough is available on the website quebec.ca.

https://cjan.media/hausse-des-cas-de-coqueluche-en-estrie/

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

52 cases of whooping cough in one week in Chaudière-Appalaches

Erik Chouinard
Posted May 18 at 2:13 p.m. CST

The Chaudière-Appalaches Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) recorded 52 active cases of whooping cough on its territory during the week of May 5 to 11. This is the largest increase in the number of cases in four weeks, a sign that this disease continues to progress in the region, which began at the end of 2023.

It is in Lévis that the majority of new cases were declared, including 27 between May 5 and 11. The MRC de la Nouvelle-Beauce, one of the sectors particularly affected earlier this year , comes in second place with 11 new cases.
...
Between January and April, the CISSS had recorded 182 cases on its territory. Infections were then mainly detected in schools and mainly affected young people of primary and secondary school age.

After an absence attributable to the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, whooping cough resurfaced in the Chaudière-Appalaches region at the end of 2023. It was then the place in Quebec where the greatest number of new cases were recorded. .
...

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2073847/coqueluche-toux-cas-hausse-cisss

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Significant increase in cases of whooping cough in Quebec

Katrine Desautels - The Canadian Press
Published yesterday at 5:22 p.m.
Health

More than 900 cases of whooping cough have been reported across Quebec since the start of 2024, including some 200 cases in recent weeks. The Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches regions are by far the most affected.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease whose main symptoms are severe coughing fits, low-grade fever, runny nose and redness of the eyes accompanied by watery eyes.

Ear infections and pneumonia are possible complications of whooping cough and the risks are more common in babies under one year of age. As of April 30, 19 confirmed cases and three probable cases have occurred in children under one year of age in Quebec.

On the Quebec government website, it is specified that children under 3 months suffer from the most serious complications. They represent almost half of hospitalizations and the majority of admissions to intensive care and almost all of the deaths due to whooping cough (deaths, however, remain rare).

In an email sent to The Canadian Press, the Ministry of Health indicated that whooping cough is a cyclical endemic disease which experiences peaks of activity every two to five years. The last peak of activity in Quebec dates back to 2019 when 1,269 cases were declared.

Health measures linked to the COVID -19 pandemic had the effect of significantly reducing the incidence of whooping cough between 2020 and 2021. The lifting of restrictions in 2022 encouraged social contacts. The ministry therefore anticipates a resurgence of the disease.

In the Chaudière-Appalaches and Estrie regions, the incidence rates are in excess compared to the same period in 2023 and for pre-pandemic years.

Since the start of 2024, 469 cases have been declared in Estrie, including 53 cases for the first two weeks of May. For the Chaudière-Appalaches region, 182 cases have been declared since the start of the year, including 84 cases from April 28 to May 11.

Montérégie has recorded 50 cases since the start of the year; the Laurentians 41 cases; Bas-Saint-Laurent 42 cases; Capitale-Nationale 43 cases and Lanaudière 20 cases. These regions all experienced around ten new cases in 14 days at the beginning of May.

Vaccination is the best way to protect against whooping cough, says the provincial government. The whooping cough vaccine can be given from the age of 2 months and is a combination vaccine.

Pregnant women can also receive the vaccine. Babies under 3 months of age are most vulnerable to serious pertussis infections and are much less vulnerable if the mother was vaccinated during pregnancy.

According to the Government of Canada, pertussis vaccination coverage should reach 95% to establish herd immunity. In 2021, in Quebec, vaccination coverage among the population aged 2 and under was 89%, according to the most recent data from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ).

For the moment, the Ministry of Health does not plan to carry out a large-scale vaccination campaign against whooping cough in schools.

https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/813359/hausse-importante-cas-coqueluche-quebec

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Increase in cases of whooping cough in Quebec: “this is reflected in our clinic on a daily basis”

QMI Agency| Published on June 2, 2024 at 3:27 p.m.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing cases of whooping cough skyrocket in Quebec.

On Sunday, 1,171 confirmed cases of whooping cough and 305 probable cases were recorded, while the last whooping cough epidemic dates back to 2019. According to Public Health, there is a whooping cough epidemic every two to five years.

This new increase could be explained in particular by a lack of adherence to the vaccination schedule due to the pandemic. Parents are therefore advised to ensure that their child's vaccinations are up to date.

“We have quite a few consultations from people who fear having symptoms or who have been in contact, especially at school. And some of these cases are indeed positive. We actually see a certain number of them, so it shows in our clinic on a daily basis,” explained Dr. Benoit Heppell, family doctor, in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.

Children with whooping cough usually have a low-grade fever, runny nose, red eyes, watery eyes, and often uncontrollable coughing.

“We certainly see several cases which have different information from different environments, whether daycares or schools, that there are cases of whooping cough. So, they come here with concerns that are quite significant,” said Dr. Mher Barbarian, medical director of UP pediatric emergency center.

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2024/06/02/epidemie-de-coqueluche-ca-transparait-dans-notre-clinique-au-quotidien

[Shiloh]

Source: https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/whooping...ases-1.6926161

Whooping cough cases on the rise in Quebec, Montreal confirms cases
Maya Johnson
Anchor for CTV News Montreal at 5 p.m.
Published June 13, 2024 6:55 p.m. EDT

There is a growing number of cases of whooping cough in Quebec, with most cases occurring in the Eastern Townships and the Beauce.

However, the cases appear to be spreading to other areas, including Montreal.

The latest numbers from Montreal public health report 1,476 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) across Quebec since the beginning of the year.

Last month, Montreal saw a spike in the number of cases: there's now a total of 57 confirmed cases from Jan. 1 to June 3...

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Quebec has passed the 6,000 whooping cough case mark in 2024

Florence Morin-Martel
Published yesterday at 4:49 p.m.
Updated yesterday at 5:33 p.m.

The number of cases of whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory infection, has passed the 6,000 mark in Quebec this year. A “rare situation that must be taken seriously,” according to the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, who emphasizes, however, that hospitalizations are infrequent.

In June alone, 3,362 were recorded in the territory, according to data that Le Devoir obtained from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. As of July 6, 737 cases had been reported. “For 2024, we have 6,016 cases. We should be heading towards a fairly significant year. We have already had years where there were a lot of them. But like this one, it is really very rare, we have to go back a good twenty years to have that,” explains Dr. Boileau in an interview.

This situation does not surprise him, however, given that whooping cough peaks in activity every three to five years, he specifies. "But because of COVID -19 , we had not had any [for a while]. We had so many containment measures that bacteria like this circulated much less. So now, we are really in a post-pandemic rebound effect."

Whooping cough is characterized by severe coughing, mild fever, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Possible complications of the disease include pneumonia, ear infections, hernias, rib fractures, and seizures. Infants under 1 year of age are at greatest risk of developing it, and children under 3 months of age experience the most serious complications.

Vaccination to prevent severe cases

"When we talk about whooping cough, dramatic cases almost always occur in very young children," says Dr. Luc Boileau. Fortunately, vaccinating pregnant women helps prevent a high number of serious cases of the disease, he points out.

"It really allows these mothers to develop antibodies that they pass on to their babies. The infant is protected during the first months of life. It helps us enormously," he continues. The child can then be vaccinated himself from the age of 2 months.

Since the beginning of the year, young people aged 10 to 14 have been the most numerous to be infected, underlines the national director of public health.

Currently, only 41 cases of whooping cough have required hospitalization in Quebec in 2024, and no deaths have been reported to date.

The Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches regions are those where the most people have been infected in 2024, with 810 and 948 cases respectively to date. "But in July, it increases much less in these regions, because [they] have already had a lot of cases in recent months," says Dr. Luc Boileau.

Now, it's more places like Côte-Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean that are seeing an increase in the number of cases. "After Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches, it's now reached there," he explains.

https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/816158/quebec-franchi-barre-6000-cas-coqueluche-2024

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

The importance of vaccinating young people

Whooping cough epidemic in Quebec confirmed

AUGUST 29, 2024 4:39 PM
WITH Philippe Cantin

More than 11,600 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Quebec so far this year. This is a significant increase compared to the annual average of 562 cases between 2015 and 2019.

Listen to host Philippe Cantin discuss it with Dr. Jesse Papenburg, pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

So, can we talk about an epidemic?

"Yes, absolutely. It's pretty clear that with the incidence rate we have right now, we have an outbreak or epidemic of whooping cough in Quebec. It's not surprising. We know that whooping cough causes epidemics about every 3 to 5 years and we haven't had one since the 2019 pandemic."

"It's still an unpleasant disease, but not dangerous for the vast majority of people. The people who are at risk of severe complications requiring hospitalization or even causing death are really young children, infants in the first six months of life. They are the ones most at risk of hospitalization and death. So, the whooping cough vaccination program in Quebec aims mainly to avoid these hospitalizations and deaths."
Dr. Jesse Papenburg

https://www.985fm.ca/audio/644675/l-epidemie-de-coqueluche-au-quebec-se-confirme

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Whooping cough
The number of cases is increasing in the Laurentians

Published on September 4, 2024 at 07:10
...
According to the most recent data from the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS, nearly 1,200 cases were recorded in 2024, between January and August inclusive.

No fewer than 190 cases were reported in August, the second highest since the start of the year.

Note that a total of 213 cases were reported in July.

The CIUSSS ensures that it is on the lookout for outbreaks in its territory, especially during this back-to-school period.
'...

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2101945/coqueluche-enfant-cas-estrie

-----------------------------------
Whooping cough continues to circulate actively in the Laurentians region.

According to the Public Health Department of the Integrated Health and Social Services Center of the Laurentians (CISSS), in just three months, the number of cases has increased significantly, going from 41 cases reported in mid-May to 1,405 cases as of August 31, 2024.

Over the past two weeks, children under 10 have been the most affected group.

Since the beginning of the year, 32 cases have also been identified in children under one year old.

The most vulnerable are babies under one year old, who are at higher risk of serious complications, and pregnant women infected in the four weeks before giving birth.

The Laurentians Public Health Department urges the population to keep their vaccinations up to date.

https://laurentides.cime.fm/nouvelles/645378/le-nombre-de-cas-augmente-dans-les-laurentides