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Three county infants get whooping cough
Public health staff in Grant County are investigating a new confirmed case of pertussis, or whooping cough, in a Grant County infant, according to health officials.
This is the third reported case of pertussis in the county in nine days. Of the two other confirmed cases, one resulted in the death of an infant on Aug. 24, and the other infant is recovering at home.
Health alerts have been issued to the Grant County medical, education and childcare communities by Grant County health officer Alexander Brzezny. These alerts recommend steps to minimize the risk of spreading pertussis in these environments, according to the health district. The alerts can be found at granthealth.org.
“With a third confirmed case, Grant County is at risk of entering into a full pertussis outbreak,” Brzezny said. “If anyone in your family spends time with infants or children, please make sure all adults are fully immunized against pertussis.”
The names, ages and hometowns of the children are not being disclosed, health district official Theresa Fuller said.
Health officials are working with health-care providers of children and adults who may have been exposed to the sick children, Fuller said. In some cases, those people may need antibiotics.
Eight thousand to 25,000 cases of whooping cough, which is also called pertussis, are reported each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the last decade, pertussis has re-emerged as one of the most pressing public health issues due to increasing numbers of cases and lower vaccination rates, Fuller said.
Recently, multiple outbreaks of pertussis have been investigated in the U.S., including cases in California and Idaho, said Jeff Ketchel, health district administrator. From 2005 to 2009, Washington state had 2,636 cases of whooping cough. During this same time period, Grant County had 17 cases.
About 1 in 20 infants with pertussis get pneumonia, Brzezny said. About 1 in 100 infants will have convulsions. In rare cases, pertussis can be deadly, especially in infants under 1 year old. Nearly all infants with pertussis get the infection from an infected adult.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound, Brzezny said. Fever is rare.
Unfortunately, young infants are less likely to have a notable cough, Brzezny said. This means caregivers and healthcare providers should consider the possibility of pertussis in infants with coughs or colds to help in prompt diagnosis and treatment.
He said people should realize that whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease and he offered these tips on vaccinations:
• Children should get five DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccinations between 2 months of age and when they start school.
• Because immunity from pertussis vaccine or disease wears off, family members and caregivers of infants should make sure they are up to date with their pertussis vaccinations.
• To protect their babies, women should get the Tdap (tetanus, diptheria and pertussis for older children and adults) booster before, during or immediately after pregnancy.
• All healthcare workers and child-care providers should be fully immunized for pertussis.
• The Tdap booster shot is available and recommended for people ages 11 to 64.
• Tdap vaccine is required for entry into sixth grade.
“Many adults and adolescents, such as high school students, may not yet have had a Tdap booster,” says Jeff Ketchel, Health District administrator. “Talk with your healthcare provider about staying current on vaccines.”
