Amid a whooping cough outbreak, Louisiana officials waited to warn the public

"When there's an outbreak of an infectious disease, state health officials usually rush to alert doctors and the public about what's going on. But this year during Louisiana's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades, health officials did not appear to follow that playbook. ROSEMARY WESTWOOD, BYLINE: Lots of pediatric residents never see a case of whooping cough during their training."

"MADISON FLAKE: I was helping cover our inpatient service, and we actually had to send a little baby to the ICU. WESTWOOD: The baby was less than 2 months old, and he was having trouble breathing she says. FLAKE: Then he would have these bouts of very dramatic, like, coughing spells, and after that, he would stop breathing for several seconds to almost a minute."

"Whooping cough is also called pertussis. It's highly contagious and can even be deadly for the youngest babies. Louisiana's outbreak began last fall. By February of this year, two babies had died. But the Louisiana Department of Health waited two months to post something on social media. It took even longer to alert physicians and hold a press conference to suggest people talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated."

Whooping cough (pertussis) surged in Louisiana beginning last fall, producing the state's worst outbreak in decades. The outbreak resulted in two infant deaths by February. A baby under two months required ICU care after severe coughing spells causing apnea. The Louisiana Department of Health delayed public outreach, posting on social media only two months after the outbreak began and waiting longer to notify physicians or hold a press conference urging vaccination. Public health leaders described the delay as surprising given that pertussis is preventable and can cause preventable childhood deaths. Medical experts emphasized that rapid communication and vaccination are essential to control spread and protect infants.

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