Although there are reports of whooping cough in southern Manitoba, Prairie Mountain Health's acting medical officer of health says by-and-large, we don't get many cases here.
Dr. Michael Routledge says there hasn't been a lot of pertussis this year in Manitoba, except for an outbreak in the south-central region.
"In those cases, pretty much all the cases that have developed pertussis are people who weren't immunized against the illness. So we do have small pockets of people, so this was sort of some family clusters of people who don't immunize, and that's where, when we do get outbreaks of pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases, that's where we'll see it."
Dr. Routledge says Prairie Mountain Health has had one case of whooping cough this year compared to zero last year and 10 in 2010.
He says for a lot of people, whooping cough usually causes a significant but not severe illness. There is concern though when it comes to young children, who can get quite sick. He says adults who are caregivers for young children are recommended to ask their health care provider about a booster for pertussis.
