COVID-19

While many consumers are on high alert for the upcoming flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning about another rampant infection: whooping cough. 

While the prevalence of whooping cough has waned in recent years due to the uptick of COVID-19 infections, the CDC found that numbers have started to climb back up this year. 

As of the week of September 14, 2024, the number of cases of whooping cough was five times higher than that week in 2023. Additionally, the figure is higher than it was the same week in 2019 – before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Experts say that fewer children have received the whooping cough vaccine since the start of the pandemic, and that could be one of the reasons for the significant increase in cases. 

However, the CDC explained that other factors could be contributing, including genetic changes to the whooping cough bacteria, more awareness of the infection, and greater availability of tests to diagnose whooping cough. 

What to do

Whooping cough spreads quickly, and all it takes is someone with the infection to cough or sneeze near another person. The first two weeks of the cough are when a person is most contagious, and consumers are encouraged to start antibiotics as early as possible to help prevent the spread of infection. 

However, it’s also important to note that many consumers struggle to get a proper diagnosis, as whooping cough presents with many of the same symptoms as the common cold or other respiratory illnesses. The distinct “whoop” of the cough is what distinguishes the infection from others. 

The CDC recommends that getting vaccinated is the best approach to protect against whooping cough. While the vaccine doesn’t eliminate the chance of infection, it can decrease the likelihood of complications, including hospitalization.  

“Whooping cough vaccines, which also provide protection from diphtheria and tetanus, are the best way to protect against whooping cough and its complications,” the agency explained. “Babies and children younger than seven years old receive DTaP vaccine, while older children and adults receive Tdap vaccine. CDC recommends whooping cough vaccination for all babies, children, preteens, and adults — and during pregnancy.” 

Consumers should receive an updated booster of the whooping cough vaccine every 10 years, regardless of age. 

What is the CDC doing? 

As cases of whooping cough continue to rise, the CDC has partnered with seven states in the Emerging Infections Program network to monitor the spread of the infection. 

This ongoing surveillance serves three primary purposes: 

• Conducts enhanced case ascertainment and augmented data collection. 

• Collects isolates and specimens for further characterization at the CDC. 

• Provides infrastructure for conducting special studies on whooping cough. 

The agency also recommends that public health officials implement official screenings for the infection when numbers are on the rise. This can help contain the spread of whooping cough and ensure that as many people as possible are receiving proper treatment. 

A “black box” warning connecting a popular asthma medication and psychological episodes as extreme as suicidal thoughts is starting to come back out of the shadows.

Questions about the medication – Montelukast (aka Singulair) – first arose four years agp during the COVID-19 pandemic but didn’t make much of a dent in the news cycle. Because of that limited coverage, it left many healthcare professionals and patients completely unaware of the risks. 

Originally, the FDA issued the warning after reviewing evidence of mental health side effects of the drug. In addition to suicidal thoughts, those side effects included behavior changes, agitation/aggression and depression, not to mention sleeping disorders, particularly in seniors.

A key element in the FDA’s warning was that while these issues may go away once someone stops taking Montelukast/Singulair, they may linger.

But now, the UK’s version of the FDA, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency,  is raising the issue again and flying the caution flag even higher. MHRA 2023 Yellow Card data counts 143 reports of psychiatric disorders associated with the drug, the highest-ever number.

As part of the drug safety update, the MHRA advised prescribers to carefully assess both the benefits and the risks of continuing treatment if neuropsychiatric reactions occur.

The FDA needs to get back on this

Now a third entity – New York Attorney General Letitia James – has called on the FDA to take another look at the situation. In her letter to the agency, James was irate that it has been nearly four years since the FDA seemed serious about the issue. She said it’s putting too many children at risk. 

“Since that decision in March 2020, the prevalence of tragic adverse mental health events, including aggression, depression and suicide, continue to be widely reported, and disproportionately so for pediatric patients,” James wrote. 

“Of the estimated 12 million people prescribed the medication, an estimated 1.6 million are children. … Parents and guardians have the right to be fully informed of a medication’s potential side effects when making choices about their children’s health. The risks associated with taking Singulair are far too dire to come without a very clear warning.”

Do you take Singulair/Montelukast?

If you take this medication, you now have a good reason to ask some serious questions. Not only about any associated side effects that you may have felt, but possibly finding an alternative medication. 

According to Drugwatch.com, for anyone concerned about the risks of Singulair or who have experienced its related side effects, the other medications available for treating asthma and allergies include: 

• Advair (asthma)

• Allegra (allergies)

• Claritin (allergies)

• Flonase (allergies)

• Loratadine (allergies)

• Prednisone (asthma and allergies)

• Promethazine (allergies)

• Symbicort (asthma)

• Xolair (asthma)

• Zyrtec (allergies)

“Speak with your healthcare provider to explore your treatment options. To ensure safe and effective management of your symptoms, always consult your doctor before discontinuing Singulair or starting a new medication,” Drugwatch recommends.

But if you experience side effects, you should speak with your doctor immediately or if there’s someone experiencing suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).