Pertussis in Michigan
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It causes severe coughing fits that can last for weeks or months.
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What is Pertussis?
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, gets its name from the distinctive 'whooping' sound made when gasping for air after a coughing fit. Before the vaccine was developed, pertussis was a leading cause of childhood death worldwide. Today, it remains a serious threat, especially to infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated.
Symptoms
- Initial cold-like symptoms (runny nose, mild fever)
- Severe, uncontrollable coughing fits
- Whooping sound when gasping for air
- Vomiting after coughing
- Exhaustion after coughing fits
- Apnea (pauses in breathing) in infants
Transmission
Pertussis spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is highly contagious, especially in the first two weeks when symptoms resemble a common cold. Close contact with infected individuals poses the highest risk.
Contagious Period: From early cold-like symptoms through 3 weeks after coughing begins (or 5 days after starting antibiotics)
Prevention
- DTaP vaccine for infants and children (5 doses by age 6)
- Tdap booster for adolescents (age 11-12) and adults
- Tdap during each pregnancy (27-36 weeks) to protect newborns
- Isolation of infected individuals
- Prophylactic antibiotics for close contacts
- Practice respiratory hygiene and handwashing
Michigan Health Resources
Local health department information and state-specific prevention guidance
We're Monitoring Michigan
Our AI-powered surveillance continuously monitors Pertussis activity across Michigan. We track data from state health departments, local hospitals, CDC reports, and 50+ global health sources to provide early warning of emerging threats.
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Michigan Health Department
For official state health alerts, vaccination locations, and public health guidance specific to Michigan, visit your state health department's website.
Understanding Pertussis: Key Questions
Whether you live in Michigan or are traveling there, knowing the symptoms, timeline, and when to seek care helps you act quickly if exposure occurs.
When to Seek Care
Seek care if you experience severe dehydration, bloody stools, high fever, or symptoms lasting more than 3 days. Children under 5, adults over 65, and immunocompromised individuals should seek care earlier.
Emergency symptoms: Severe dehydration, inability to keep fluids down for 12 or more hours, or neurological symptoms require emergency care.
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Expert Resources & References
Trusted information from leading health organizations
CDC
Official guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
View CDC Resources →WHO
Global disease surveillance and guidelines from the World Health Organization
View WHO Resources →Medically Reviewed Content
Disease information on Virus Watcher is reviewed by our Chief Epidemiologist, a former CDC lead analyst for FluSight forecasting. Outbreak data is aggregated from verified sources including BEACON, ProMED, WHO, CDC, and 50+ national health agencies. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical advice.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Recent Pertussis Reports
No confirmed cases reported in Michigan yet. Here are the latest Pertussis reports from our global surveillance network.
This event envelope contains reports on pertussis in Cameroon. *Source: BEACON* - [View Full Report](https://beaconbio.org/en/event/?eventid=e49f779c-4858-4373-a136-c0cd6c4074c1)
Most adults think of whooping cough as a vintage childhood disease or something you only need to worry about if you're visiting a newborn. And the most dangerous myth most of us accept as truth? That the immunisations we received as children protect us for life. But during 2024 a…
An estimated 13.5 million "zero-dose" children, including 679,000 in India, did not receive a single vaccine in their first year in 2025, according to the annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) released on Wednesday. Nigeria topped the chart with 2…
Thousands of children in Kenya have been left vulnerable to deadly childhood diseases after repeated vaccine shortages disrupted immunisation programmes over the past five years. The shortages affected vaccines that protect babies from illnesses that can quickly become life-threa…
This event envelope contains reports on pertussis in Guam. *Source: BEACON* - [View Full Report](https://beaconbio.org/en/event/?eventid=5bd064e8-9bd0-428a-988f-02ed49f308f8)
CINCINNATI -- Meridian Bioscience, Inc., a leading global provider of diagnostic testing solutions and life science raw materials, announced today that Health Canada has granted a license for its Alethia® CMV assay. The addition of CMV expands Meridian's existing Alethia menu, wh…
July 15 (Reuters) - Global childhood vaccination rates rose slightly in 2025, yet millions of children remained unprotected against preventable diseases as conflict, funding cuts and growing outbreaks undermined immunization efforts. According to the latest immunization estimate…
From the day a baby is born, vaccination becomes one of the most important conversations during the infant's first year. Certainly, the conversation is just as important.Vaccines have transformed child health across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), imm…
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pertussis answered by our epidemiology team
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