Maine CDC Health Advisory

October 30, 2024

Pertussis Uptick in Maine: Information on Testing, Treatment, and Prevention

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) reports 101 pertussis cases between January 1 and October 23, 2024. This surpasses the 76 cases reported throughout all of 2023. Ages ranged from 1 month to 55 years old. Teenagers (13-19 years old) accounted for 43% of cases. Children under 5 years old accounted for 26% of cases.

This increase in cases is not exclusive to Maine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) shared that more than 5 times as many cases had been reported nationally as of October 19, compared to the same time in 2023.

Pertussis is most effectively treated in the first, most mild, stage of illness. It is important to consider pertussis as a possible cause of cough illness, particularly in persons who have had a cough for over one week, or persons who have had exposure to someone with pertussis. To assist in this effort, Maine CDC created a pertussis guide for health care providers so that health care professionals have a resource they can use to build knowledge of pertussis and to help navigate the identification, testing, treatment, and prevention of illness.

Advisory (PDF)