Pertussis rates plummet in Maine amid precautions, new law - WABI

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The rate of pertussis has fallen sharply in Maine, which not long ago had one of the highest rates of the infectious disease in the country.

Pertussis is also called whooping cough and it's an infection that causes a severe, hacking cough and can be especially dangerous to babies.

Maine had the second-highest rate of the disease in the U.S. in 2019 at more than 28 cases per 100,000 residents.

The Portland Press Herald reports the state is on track to record about seven cases per 100,000 this year.

That figure is much closer to the national average.

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