The case in summary: 2024 is an outbreak year for whooping cough in Norway, and registered cases of the disease have doubled over the summer. Most people have received a combination vaccine against whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus through the childhood vaccination programme, but this vaccine does not last as long as other vaccines. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health recommends that all adults take a refresher dose every ten years. Only 25 per cent of the adult population has followed this recommendation in the last ten years. Many adults forget to vaccinate after they are out of the childhood vaccination programme. Vaccination is important to prevent serious illness in the individual, but also to protect those at higher risk, such as patients with immunodeficiency and children under one year of age, says the Institute of Public Health. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. It starts as a cold with a little cough. Then comes wheezing and strong coughing fits, usually with vomiting and vomiting. This is how a case of whooping cough, or whooping cough as it is also called, can occur. This year is a so-called outbreak year for the disease, says Fredrik Skår at the Institute of Public Health. – This is a disease that comes back every year, some years with more cases than others. I see that in Norway and other European countries this year. In this country, registered cases have doubled over the summer. At the end of May, 2,102 cases of whooping cough were registered in Norway. As of week 32, the number has risen to 4,037, according to figures from FHI. Facts about whooping cough Considered a highly contagious disease, which is transmitted via droplets in connection with coughing fits. A disease that has been cured gives many years of immunity, but not lifelong immunity. The incubation period is usually 7–10 days. The course of the disease is divided into two stages: first you get a period with cold-like symptoms, such as cough, fever and runny nose. These items last for around a week. Afterwards, there is an attack stage which is characterized by strong coughs with beeping sounds (whooping). Some people cough so much that they vomit or vomit. Whooping cough can be dangerous for young children, especially infants, because they may stop breathing during the coughing fit. The World Health Organization (WHO) calculated in 2014 that there were 24.1 million cases of whooping cough globally and 160,700 deaths in children under the age of 5, mainly in low-income countries. WHO calculates that 86% of the world’s children as of 2018 have been vaccinated with three doses of whooping cough vaccine during the first year of life. Vaccination coverage has nevertheless been lower during the covid-19 pandemic, with 81% in 2021 and 84% in 2022. Source: Institute of Public Health Should be refreshed every ten years At the University of Bergen, there are not many people who can answer on their feet whether they actually is protected against whooping cough. – I know that I have been vaccinated once, but I do not know how long it has been since. 24-year-old Elena Grøtta Giske has to scroll through the journal on helsenorge.no. – Yes, I’ve got that one five times! Elena Grøtte Giske (24) does not usually check whether she needs to brush up on her vaccinations, unless she is going out and travelling. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news Like Giske, the vast majority of us have already received a combination vaccine against whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus through the childhood vaccination programme. But did you know that it should be refreshed with a new dose every ten years? – We have received this vaccine several times from infancy and through secondary school age. But it does not last as long as other vaccines. So we recommend that all adults take a refresher dose every ten years, says Skår in FHI. Three out of four adults are not protected Since 2013, all tenth graders have been offered the combination vaccine against the four diseases. 24-year-old Giske agreed to it eight years ago, it emerged after a bit of scrolling on helsenorge.no. But in two years, she will be so poorly protected that FHI recommends a refresher dose. In the last ten years, only 25 per cent of the adult population has followed that recommendation, figures from the National Vaccine Register SYSVAK show. – We want adults to vaccinate to prevent serious illness in the individual, but also to protect those at higher risk, such as patients with immunodeficiency and children under one year, says Skår. – Forgetting Back at UiB, Linea Klokk also has to check the medical record to find out if she is still protected against whooping cough. She thinks people forget to vaccinate after they are out of the childhood vaccination programme. – Suddenly you are an adult, and no one says you have to do that. Then maybe it will go in the forget-me-not book, then, says the student. Vaccines cost money, says student Linea Klokk (24). Then it quickly becomes the case that she only takes the ones she absolutely must have. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news She herself had a round of vaccines in connection with a trip to Tanzania. – I don’t quite know if I would have taken it if I didn’t have to do it to travel. She is not alone in that, believes Skår. – We know that there are many people who take this vaccine when they go out and travel, something many do in their 20s, so someone will have received a refresher in connection with that, he says. – Do you have a recommendation for those who have not been backpacking and had the status of their vaccinations checked? – We recommend that everyone be vaccinated every ten years. It also protects against diseases other than whooping cough, so there are many good reasons to get vaccinated. Published 21.08.2024, at 21.18
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Kikhostetala doubled over the summer – three out of four lack a refresher dose – news Vestland
