State health officials are monitoring rising cases of whooping cough and pneumonia.

Children and adolescents are primarily affected by these bacterial respiratory illnesses, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Wednesday, urging clinicians and families to be on the lookout for potential symptoms.

Whooping cough, also known as whooping cough, is a “highly contagious acute respiratory illness” that begins with mild symptoms, Goldstein said. Infected people later develop a severe cough that may be followed by vomiting, he said.

“After a significant decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, pertussis cases in Massachusetts are increasing to pre-pandemic levels, particularly among adolescents,” Goldstein told the Public Health Council Wednesday morning .

“It is important to note that whooping cough is preventable through vaccination. Everyone should be up to date with their whooping cough vaccine to prevent the disease,” he added.

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The Department of Public Health is also monitoring the spread of bacteria that can cause walking pneumonia and spark outbreaks in the community.

Goldstein said symptoms include a “persistent” cough, fever and fatigue, although they can be mild and “do not always require hospitalization.”

“In recent weeks, Massachusetts clinicians have reported higher than usual numbers of pneumonia cases, particularly among children and young adults,” Goldstein said.

“Syndromic surveillance, using hospital emergency room visit data, shows that emergency room visits for pneumonia caused by mycoplasma have reached very high levels in recent weeks,” Goldstein said.

As for other respiratory illnesses, Goldstein said COVID-19, influenza and RSV were at low levels, but warned cases would increase this winter.

“We are amplifying the message that getting vaccinated today will benefit you, your family, your friends and your community in the future,” Goldstein said. “The flu, COVID-19 and RSV can spread quickly this time of year as people gather indoors more often, and vaccines greatly reduce the risk of getting seriously ill or being hospitalized due to respiratory illness. »

DPH offers at-home COVID and flu vaccinations for people who have difficulty getting vaccinated in health care settings or community settings, Goldstein said.

The state also provides free telehealth services to Bay Staters who need a prescription for Paxlovid after contracting COVID, he said.