New Jersey has seen a decline in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in recent years, but hundreds of kids are still getting the highly contagious respiratory disease. Newborns are especially at risk for serious complications and even death.

Kid coughing
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"It is spread by coughing or sneezing, and it usually starts with cold-like symptoms, maybe a cough or fever, and then after one to two weeks the coughing can become severe," said Dr. Barbara Montana, medical director of Communicable Disease Service at the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH).

Children are required to get a pertussis vaccine before starting school, but the protection they get from the vaccine is only temporary.

"Unfortunately, we know that getting sick with pertussis or getting vaccinated doesn't provide lifelong protection, which means you can still get pertussis and pass it along to others," Montana said.

Typically, children have the highest level of protection within the first two years of getting vaccinated, but then that protection decreases over time. Montana said five does of the vaccine are recommended for children 2 months to 6 years of age, and then there's one does recommended for people over the age of 11.  The vaccine is also recommended for pregnant women and all adults who are in contact with infants.

While children and adults can still get pertussis even if they are vaccinated for it, the infection is not likely to be as severe.  "It doesn't (the vaccine) protect you 100 percent, but it does protect against severe disease," Montana said.  "It's very important to make sure that everyone is up-to-date on their vaccines. Infants are at greatest risk of getting pertussis and having the most severe complications, so pregnant women should be vaccinated since infants have smaller airways."

In addition to getting vaccinated, proper hygiene should be followed. "Making sure people cover their cough and hand washing is also important in areas where the disease may be present," Montana said.

In 2012, there were almost 1,400 cases of pertussis reported in New Jersey.  In 2014, there were only about 300, according to the NJDOH.

Nationally, there were 48,277 cases of pertussis reported in 2012, representing the most number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1955 when 62,786 cases were reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To learn more about pertussis, click here.

To learn more about the immunization schedules recommended by the CDC, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

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