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Minnesota saw more pertussis cases in 2014 than it did the year before, but the total was still smaller than recorded during a massive outbreak in 2012.

 
The highly contagious respiratory disease produces a severe cough that can last for up to three months. Pertussis is a bacterial disease, also known as whooping cough, and can be very serious — occasionally fatal, especially in infants. 

As of Dec. 31, Minnesota had tallied 1,120 cases of pertussis during 2014, a jump of more than 80 cases from 2013.


Ten years ago, case counts exceeding 1,000 would have been considered remarkable, but now they're becoming the norm. A pertussis outbreak in 2012 sickened 4,639 people in Minnesota. 

Public health officials say a modified version of the TDaP vaccine, introduced in the mid 1990s, does not appear to be as effective as an older version of the vaccine that had more side effects.

Health

Lorna Benson

Author

Minnesota saw many pertussis cases in 2014, though far short of the number during the massive outbreak in 2012.

More pertussis cases in Minnesota in 2014

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