Cases of pertussis (whooping cough) have increased sixfold in the United States since last year, with over 28,000 cases reported this year. However, public awareness about the disease remains low, according to a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
The survey found that nearly one-third of respondents didn’t know that pertussis is vaccine-preventable, and only 29% knew all three diseases protected against by the Tdap vaccine. Despite this, a significant majority – 85% – said they would recommend a booster shot to their child or adult relative due for one.
Symptoms of pertussis were also poorly recognized in the survey. While coughing fits (83%) and low-grade fever (44%) were correctly identified as symptoms, other common ones like vomiting after coughing (33%) and runny nose (30%) caused confusion.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/pertussis/us-whooping-cough-cases-soar-public-knowledge-contagious-disease-remains-low