Several public health units in southwestern Ontario say they've seen a spike in cases of whooping cough and are urging residents to get vaccinated against the respiratory illness that can be particularly severe in young children.
Southwestern Public Health, Huron Perth Public Health, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health are among the health authorities reporting notable increases in the disease.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, can see a person's cough intensify to the point where a ``whooping'' sound is heard when they try to catch their breath,
Dr. Ninh Tran, the medical officer of health for the Southwestern Public Health, says the number of whooping cough cases in the health unit were in the single digits in previous years.
But from from the beginning of January 2022 to February 2023, the number of cases jumped to 82 -- which was 40 per cent of the provincial total from that time period.
Huron Perth Public Health -- which serves the cities and municipalities of Stratford, Wingham, Listowel, and Clinton -- says it has confirmed at least 21 confirmed cases so far this year.
In 2022, it counted only three cases.
Tran says the COVID-19 pandemic might have put residents of southern Ontario behind on routine immunizations and is urging people to catch up.