LUMBERTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- During the pandemic, with so many restrictions in place, respiratory illnesses like the flu and whooping cough went way down. Now cases are back up at pre-pandemic levels. As kids go back to school, doctors want parents to be aware.
Juliette Osborne, of Lumberton , knows her 10-year-old daughter, Emmani, well. While she has multiple chronic conditions, the symptoms she started having in July were unusual. "Whooping cough at night, and I'm talking about 4 a.
m. to 8 a.m.
She stopped eating. She was extremely fatigued," said Osborne. They ended up in the emergency room and were surprised when the test results came back.
"Two days later, almost close to midnight, I was shocked to receive the news that she had pertussis," said Osborne. Pertussis is known to many as whooping cough. Osborne says because Emmani is vaccinated, her symptoms were not severe.
But she's not alone. The CDC says pertussis cases are returning to pre-pandemic levels as many people aren't taking as many precautions. "In August of 2024 - this year - we are seeing three times the number of cases of pertussis that we saw in August of 2023," said Dr.
Alfred Sacchetti of Virtua Health. According to CDC data, there have been 1,666 cases reported in Pennsylvania through August 17, 2024. In New Jersey, there have been 128 during the same time period.
Sacchetti says pertussis is very contagious and can be particularly dangerous for babies and young children. "The kids get into a fit of c.