Sylvain Brisse, researcher at the Pasteur Institute, warns of the “explosion” of whooping cough cases

The number of cases of whooping cough is increasing sharply this year in France, with nearly 6,000 cases already recorded, according to the Pasteur Institute. The disease is particularly contagious since one patient can transmit it to fifteen other people and infants are particularly at risk in the event of infection.

She is nicknamed “the cough of the 100 days” and the bacteria which causes it, Bordetella pertussis, is particularly contagious: whooping cough has exploded in France since the start of the year. According to data from the Pasteur Institute, positive cases are already “eleven times more important between January and May 2024 than over the whole of 2023”with “nearly 6,000 positive cases” listed. To understand this increase and the means of protection, three questions to Sylvain Brisse, responsible for National reference center for whooping cough and other bordetelloses at the Institut Pasteur.

Franceinfo: How can we explain this explosion of whooping cough cases?

Sylvain Brisse: Indeed, I think we can speak of an explosion. We haven’t seen this in over 40 years or so. Neither this number of cases, nor such a rapid increase. It is a bacteria that is very contagious: it was estimated, before the vaccination era, that when a patient is infected, they can contaminate 15 other people on average. This is, for example, ten times more than the Covid virus at the start of the epidemic. The disease is therefore particularly transmissible and is cyclical, with peaks approximately every five years. But there, perhaps because of the barrier measures during the Covid period, the population’s immunity is lower. The Bordetella pertussis bacteria, responsible for whooping cough, can therefore circulate very easily in the population. Moreover, this is a phenomenon that we are also observing on a European scale, notably in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark, England… We can fear that it will last for a few more months, including during the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

“The disease can be fatal in very small children who have not yet been vaccinated.”

Sylvain Brisse

at franceinfo

What are the symptoms of the illness ?

It is a respiratory disease that causes very intense coughing. In adults, for example, there are often coughing fits at night that never end. These symptoms can last a long time, which is why whooping cough is called “100 day disease”, but it lasts on average a few weeks. It’s very debilitating: you don’t sleep well, you can become a little depressed because of lack of sleep. Older people will be a little more sensitive than younger adults. The most serious problem is when whooping cough affects an infant. In very young children who have not yet been vaccinated, the disease can be fatal.

How to fight this disease, so as not to catch it or transmit it?

Already, in the event of a cough, a diagnosis must be made because it could be something other than whooping cough. This means that you have to go to the doctor so that he can prescribe a whooping cough test, it is a PCR test like Covid. If the result is positive, antibiotics must be taken. The treatment is quite short, three to five days and it is quite effective. During this period, you must avoid being in contact with other people, therefore staying at home, especially not meeting elderly people, children and, above all, newborns. If you have to go to work, it is better to wear a mask.

“You have to make sure you are up to date with your vaccine boosters.”

Sylvain Brisse

at franceinfo

The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get the vaccine. It is compulsory at the age of two, four and eleven months. It is also recommended for pregnant women so that antibodies can be produced by the mother and passed to the fetus so that it is thus protected, before itself being vaccinated. As an adult, you should not forget your booster vaccination every 20 years, for example at 25, 45, 65. In children, boosters are at six years old, then between eleven and thirteen years old. You need to make sure you are up to date with your reminders, especially when you have younger brothers and sisters.