01/18/2008: "Immediate Action Urged Against Whooping Cough"

All Orcas and Lopez residents with a persistent cough are urged to see their health care provider for evaluation, testing and treatment of pertussis (whooping cough). Immunization of children less than seven years of age is critical for control of pertussis.

The County Health Department is continuing to investigate more than 40 cases of pertussis on Orcas Island. After starting among a few childcare facilities, the outbreak has become a community-wide outbreak.

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Pertussis is most contagious during the first week when symptoms are mild, similar to a bad cold with slight fever, runny nose and a cough. The irritating cough persists and gradually develops into a series of repeated and violent coughs (many occur without an opportunity to inhale), and then may be followed by a high-pitched whoop as they inhale and/or vomiting in children.

Adults often have just a moderate to severe cough. Anyone with these symptoms is urged to avoid contact with children less than one year of age, pregnant women, the immune suppressed and those with advanced lung disease until examined by a health care provider to prevent spreading the disease.
The contagious period lasts until 3 weeks after the onset of the fits of coughing or until 5 days of treatment with an appropriate antibiotic have been completed.

The illness may last for 2 months or longer.

When outbreaks move from focused to community-wide the CDC recommends that anyone in the community with cold like symptoms should be evaluated, tested, and treated to avoid further spread of the disease.

More than forty cases have been identified on Orcas and at least two cases are being investigated on Lopez Island. For close contacts and suspected cases of any age a course of antibiotics is recommended to prevent disease and limit contagiousness

Pertussis is potentially fatal in young children less than one year old, one in 200 cases in this age group die from the infection. Vaccination is possible as early as 6 weeks of age. Because pertussis is among the most lethal diseases of unimmunized infants and young children, parents should keep young infants and unimmunized children away from individuals with even mild cough and upper respiratory illness and start the series of immunizations with the DTaP vaccine.

It is known that older children and adults with mild persistent cough illness (unrecognized as pertussis) are another major source of transmission. There is now a vaccine available for those ten years of age and older, called Tdap. It provides a booster dose of pertussis vaccine along with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines.

This new vaccine is recommended for adolescents getting their routine booster dose and for adults, especially those who have contact with the high risk groups mentioned above. Vaccine is available through the San Juan County Health Department and through local physicians.
Contact the Health Department at 378-4474 for information regarding pertussis disease.