Whooping cough cases are up in Illinois and across the country, the CDC warns.

As of the end of September, reported cases in the state are nearly five times higher than they were this time last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that spikes in the fall alongside other diseases like RSV, the flu and COVID-19.

The bacterial infection initially presents as a standard cold for the first week or two, said Dr. David Nguyen, an internal medicine physician at Rush University Medical Center.

As time goes on, the cough gets worse and can last for several weeks. The coughing fits tend to last for about five to 10 coughs and when the person catches their breath, the breath sounds like a whoop, Nguyen said.

Babies are especially vulnerable to whooping cough — one in three require hospitalization due to the disease, according to the CDC.

“The real danger is in babies, especially young babies under 6 months. They have smaller lungs and less reserves so they might end up having complications and stop breathing,” said Nguyen, who also specializes in infectious diseases in kids.

If the baby stops breathing, they’re at a serious risk for heart problems, Nguyen said. That’s when whooping cough can be fatal.

The disease can also seriously affect kids, teens and adults. It’s recommended adults get the Tdap vaccine booster every 10 years, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Pregnant people should also get the vaccine to boost their baby’s immune system and protect them in their first few months of life, Nguyen said.

For babies, the first dose of DTaP is given at two months and boosters are administered throughout childhood.

As of Sept. 21, 1,058 cases of whooping cough have been reported in Illinois this year, according to CDC data. At the same point last year, there were only 230 cases reported.

The spike in cases is likely because kids and adults are not up to date on their vaccinations, Nguyen said. That could be because people are refusing vaccinations for themselves and their kids or because people skipped visits to their primary care doctor during COVID lockdowns.

“One big reason rates go up is when vaccination rates go down,” Nguyen said. “It’s important not just for the baby to be vaccinated, but for everyone in the household to be up to date on vaccines.”

For both kids and adults with whooping cough, Nguyen recommends seeking medical help if the cough gets more severe and the person is struggling to breathe or throwing up because of the cough.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, the time is coming to “fall back.” But not all states observe daylight saving time, and some have introduced legislation to eliminate it entirely.

Here’s what to know as DST approaches.

When do we change the clocks?

Under federal law, those states participating in daylight saving time will roll their clocks back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, which this year falls on Nov. 3.

Clocks will then spring forward on the second Sunday in March 2025, which will fall on March 9.

What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time is a changing of the clocks that typically begins in spring and ends in fall. Under the conditions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On those days, clocks either shift forward or backward one hour.

When not in daylight saving time, the time is known as standard time.

As it stands, Illinois shifts between the two. The “spring forward” is when the state enters daylight saving time, and the “fall back” marks a return to standard time.

According to the website Time and Date, standard time is the local time in a country or region when daylight saving time is not in use.

“More than 60% of the countries in the world use standard time all year,” the site says. “The remaining countries use DST during the summer months, generally setting clocks forward one hour from standard time.”

When does daylight saving time end?

Currently, Illinois and several states across the U.S. are in daylight saving time, which began in spring. But that will soon come to an end as clocks “fall back” this season, giving residents a coveted extra hour of sleep.

But when does that happen?

The federal government mandates clocks roll back on the first Sunday of November each year. In 2024, that falls on Nov. 3.

Do all states participate in daylight saving time?

Most states do participate in the twice-annual clock changes, but Arizona and Hawaii do not, having opted out of the practice.

Can states decide their own time?

Under provisions of the Uniform Time Act, states have the option of either participating in daylight saving time, committing to springing forward and rolling back clocks on the appointed days, or to opt out of the practice altogether, keeping year-round standard time.

States cannot opt to keep daylight saving time on a permanent basis under provisions of the act.

However, many states have passed legislation that would convert them to year-round daylight saving time should Congress alter the Uniform Time Act. According to KGW, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee all have laws on the books that would allow for the states to observe permanent daylight saving time if Congress would allow them to do so.

Does Illinois observe DST?

Yes. Clocks in Illinois “fall back” each year in November, and “spring forward” in March.

While there have been laws proposed to observe permanent daylight saving time in Illinois, none have passed the General Assembly, according to lawmakers.

The same is true in Indiana, where most of the state operates on Eastern time and the northwestern counties of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties operate on Central time.

In Michigan, a referendum was proposed for voters that would have allowed for a vote on daylight saving time, but it was referred to committee and did not pass in time for the 2024 election.

Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Report Highlights Ongoing Disparities and Need for Targeted Prevention Efforts; Better Infant and Maternal Health is Key Priority in Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released a new report on infant mortality that shows the statewide rate decreased to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021, the most recent full year of data, compared to 6.5 per 1,000 in 2018. However, the report released during Infant Mortality Awareness Month also documents the historic racial disparities that have persisted nationally in the area of infant health. Governor JB Pritzker has made it a priority to address these disparities and included more than $23 million in the current state budget to improve birth outcomes.

The Illinois infant mortality rate of 5.6 is slightly above the national rate of 5.4. The state has signed on to the national Healthy People 2030 framework established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which sets a goal for all states to reach a rate of 5.0 or lower by the year 2030.

“The health of a newborn baby during their first year of life is a critical indicator of the overall health of our society,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “As a pediatrician, I was witness to far too many preventable tragedies and saw firsthand the important role that community, health, and social supports play in helping both caregivers and young children thrive. While this report points to progress in reducing the infant mortality rate, it also highlights that despite significant public health efforts, unacceptable racial and ethnic disparities persist. Maternal and Infant health is one of the five priority areas of the Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan, and IDPH, along with our partners, will continue to focus on the recommended strategies and key resources to improve health outcomes for pregnant people and their newborn infants.”

Infant mortality is defined as the death of an infant before their first birthday. The report covers 2021, in which there were a total 132,228 live birth and 743 infant deaths recorded in Illinois. It offers a comprehensive analysis of infant mortality trends and identifies areas where public health interventions can have the greatest impact. Among the key findings are the following:

• The leading causes of infant death in Illinois are effects of prematurity and fetal malnutrition, birth defects, sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), and pregnancy/ delivery complications. These conditions account for almost 70% of infant deaths.
• In Illinois, the infant mortality rate among infants born to non-Hispanic Black women is nearly three times that of infants born to White, Hispanic, and Asian women.
• If the fetal and infant mortality rate among infants born to non-Hispanic Black women was reduced to rates among infants born to low-risk White women, 204 Black fetal and infant deaths would be prevented each year.
• The Black-White inequity in infant mortality is heavily influenced by trends in deaths due to prematurity and SUID. In 2021, non-Hispanic Black infants were more than four times as likely to die of SUID than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic infants.

The report prepared by IDPH’s Office of Women’s Health and Family Services was supported by funding from the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant and general revenue funding for maternal and child health.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery did not appear to have a substantial impact on the overall trend of infant mortality, nor any major cause of infant mortality such as prematurity and fetal malnutrition. From 2020 to 2022, COVID-19 was a factor in 10 infant deaths in Illinois, the majority occurring in 2022, based on provisional data for 2022.

Improving infant and maternal health is one of the five key priorities laid out in IDPH’s State Health Improvement Plan, detailed in the Healthy Illinois 2028 Plan. Released at the beginning of this year, the five-year plan calls for the promotion of a comprehensive, cohesive, and equitable system of care and support services for pregnant Illinoisans throughout the birthing process and for newborns and the first year of infants’ lives.

IDPH and its partners remain committed to addressing infant mortality in Illinois through a comprehensive and evidence-based approach including:

• Support for birthing hospitals with a regionalized perinatal system to improve birth outcomes through training, technical support, and risk-appropriate care.
• The creation of a statewide strategic plan and distribution of Birth Equity Resource Building Grants to support the needs of community-based reproductive healthcare providers funded by $4 million in the current state budget.
• Ongoing data surveillance and collection, including fetal and infant mortality reviews, and a more comprehensive coroner’s and medical examiner’s reporting system to identify underlying causes of infant mortality and inform community-based interventions and policies.
• Home visiting and case management programs to support pregnant and postpartum women and infants to improve birth outcomes.
• Continued support for community-based, culturally accessible safe infant sleep programs, including Illinois Safe Sleep Support.

The Governor’s Birth Equity Initiative invested approximately $23 million to address the historic racial disparities in birth outcomes through a variety of measures, including the creation of a statewide strategic plan. This includes closing the maternal mortality gap through home visiting expansion, capital dollars for community-birth centers, a diaper pilot program, changes to Medicaid reimbursement rates, and a child tax credit for families in poverty.

Additional information about infant mortality in Illinois can be found on IDPH’s website.