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Ottawa among municipalities in Ontario seeing surge of whooping cough cases

Health officials across Ontario are warning of a significant spike in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

Public Health Ontario says as of Sept. 9, 1,016 cases have been reported in the province. That’s the highest since 2012 when 1,044 cases were reported.

The health unit says the majority of cases were among children between the age of 10-14, accounting for 37.8 cases per 100,000 people. From 2015-2019, that rate was 13.3.

On Sept. 11, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) said they had seen 90 cases of whooping cough so far this year, compared to just six in 2023.

The whooping cough vaccine is required for children attending school, and Ottawa Public Health recently said they would start issuing suspension notices in the new year for children who don’t have updated vaccination records.

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