Whooping cough outbreak in Costa Rica
Costa Rica health authorities report the detection and response to a whooping cough outbreak in the southern region of the country.
On May 20, a case of whooping cough was confirmed in a 36-year-old man, a teacher at a school in Golfito and a resident of the Corredores canton. The patient received treatment, is in good health, and is following the corresponding medical recommendations.
Following the diagnosis, the epidemiological surveillance protocol was immediately activated, conducting community sweeps and actively searching for cases. Seventy-nine direct contacts of the initial case were identified, including 72 students, six teachers, and one cleaning staff member. Of these, 31 people presented symptoms, and 14 cases were laboratory-confirmed as positive for whooping cough.
The 14 confirmed cases are currently in home isolation, in good general health, and receiving treatment and monitoring from the inter-institutional team.
Recommendations to the population:
Go to a health center if you experience persistent respiratory symptoms or coughing fits.
Avoid contact between sick people and pregnant women, nursing mothers, and unvaccinated people.
Strictly follow the instructions of health personnel.
Maintain good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing.
Comply with the national vaccination schedule:
Pentavalent vaccine: at 2, 4, 6 and 15 months.
Tetravalent Vaccine: at 4 years old.
Vaccine for pregnant women: indicated from the 20th week of pregnancy.
Whooping cough is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, and its incubation period ranges from 4 to 21 days. The most contagious phase is the initial phase, similar to the common cold. In Costa Rica, 45 laboratory-confirmed cases were confirmed in 2025, with an incidence rate of 0.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Health authorities are maintaining strict surveillance and reiterate their call for prevention through vaccination and prompt medical attention if suspicious symptoms develop.