AHS warns of whooping cough outbreak in southern Alberta
Alberta Health Services (AHS) says 16 people are sick with pertussis – better known as whooping cough – in several southern Alberta communities.
The agency says, as of Thursday, three of those patients are in hospital.
The areas impacted by the outbreak include Lethbridge County, Coaldale, Taber, Vauxhall, Grassy Lake and Bow Island.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection with symptoms very similar to a cold or flu – runny nose, sneezing, fever and a mild cough – but the cough becomes much more severe as the illness progresses.
It gets its name from coughing spells in youngsters who make a 'whooping' sound when inhaling.
AHS says young children are at the greatest risk and complications from whooping cough include pneumonia, convulsions, brain damage and even death.
Routine vaccinations for children provide protection against pertussis, and cases are usually treated with antibiotics.
According to the province's interactive health data application, a significant portion of South Zone's population under two years old has received all four doses of the DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccine, which is a combination immunization that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Haemophilius influenzae type B:
- One dose - 83.6 per cent coverage in 2021;
- Two doses - 81.31 per cent coverage in 2021;
- Three doses - 79.1 per cent coverage in 2021;
- Four doses - 62.2 per cent coverage in 2021; and
- Booster (administered at age 7) - 77.1 per cent in 2021.
Further information about whooping cough can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.