Everyone loves a comeback, be it a treasured band, sporting hero, or lethal Dickensian illness. Okay, let's scratch out that last one. Schools in the South are having a homecoming tour of a disease that was devastating during the Victorian era, resulting in some pretty rough results.
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Pertussis, AKA Whooping Cough, has reared its ugly head again with 123 confirmed cases in Alabama and 525 cases in North Carolina. This isn't the first time we have seen the Victorian disease in the US, with 16,000 cases across the country so far in 2024.
However, the majority of cases have been isolated in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, California, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Arizona. Only recently has the disease made its way down south, just in time for the winter flu/cold season.
The CDC is blaming the rise in Whooping cough on the drop in vaccinations post-pandemic. They are urging people to go get jabbed and avoid dying like some frail orphan from a Charles Dickens novel.
The Dangers of the Rise in the Victorian Whooping Cough Disease
Although hardly as fatal as it once was, Whooping Cough is still not something to be taken lightly. It is especially dangerous for babies. Around 0.8% of cases in children under a year are fatal, with 50% of cases requiring hospitalization. However, adults are much less at risk from the Victorian disease.
It is incredibly infectious though, and can be transmitted through droplets from a cough or sneeze or by contact with whatever comes out of your respiratory tract. Basically, breathing in someone else's cough, if they have it, will have an 80% chance of spreading. If you suspect someone is suffering from it, stay well away. Masks back on, guys.
There are often epidemics of whooping cough around the world. According to PMC, there is one every 3 to 5 years. Because of this, we're pretty well equipped to deal with it. The US healthcare system might be completely broken and obscenely expensive, but it's well more than capable of coping with an outbreak of a Victorian disease.
It is described by many as the worst cough they've had in their lives. It pulls at the chest and wracks the body. If you suspect you may have it, it's best to head to your local GP. If you're into it, there are vaccines that can be regularly taken, too.
