Whooping cough outbreak declared over in New Brunswick

The New Brunswick government says a whooping cough outbreak that began in the province last summer has ended.

The initial outbreak happened on the Acadian Peninsula in June 2024. A provincewide outbreak was then declared two months later.

During the outbreak, 1,029 cases were reported. The province says it was the most since the last whooping cough outbreak in 2012.

Nine people had to be hospitalized during the latest outbreak. No deaths were reported.

The province says 54,045 doses of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine were administered during outbreak.

Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says the vaccine played a “critical role” in curbing the spread of infection.

“While I’m happy to be announcing the end of the provincial outbreak of pertussis, we can expect to see some additional cases occur throughout the province,” Léger said in a provincial news release Monday.

“We know being up to date on our vaccines is the best way to prevent cases and transmission of whooping cough. It’s particularly important for pregnant women, infants and those in close contact with them, since infants and newborns are most at risk for whooping cough complications.”

Children aged 10 to 14 years old were the most affected by the last outbreak.

New Brunswickers who aren’t sure of their vaccination status against whooping cough can check their immunization records via MyHealthNB or with their local public health office.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.