Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Canada, with some provinces reporting sharp increases compared to pre-pandemic averages. More than 11,670 cases have been reported in Quebec so far this year, a significant jump from the annual average of 562 cases between 2015 and 2019. The majority of whooping cough patients are between the ages of 10 and 14, a spokesperson for Quebec's health ministry said in an email to The Canadian Press.
The last peak of whooping cough activity in the province was in 2019, when 1,269 cases were reported, the email said. As of June, Ontario has seen 470 whooping cough cases, compared to the five-year average of 98, a provincial dashboard shows. Number of whooping cough cases in 2024 now above pre-pandemic average Severity, length of N.
B. whooping cough outbreak will depend on vaccine uptake, says expert Toronto has reported 99 cases so far this year, while Ottawa has seen 76 — more than double the pre-pandemic annual averages recorded in those cities. On Aug.
16, Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health said in a release they'd seen a rise in cases locally and urged parents to keep vaccines up to date for themselves and their children. The figures come on the heels of a whooping cough outbreak declared last week in New Brunswick with 141 cases reported so far, exceeding the five-year average of 34 cases per year. WATCH | New Brunswick declares province-wide outbreak of whooping cough: New Brunswick declares province-wide outbreak .