OR: Whooping cough

[Shiloh]

Source: http://kdrv.com/page/136180

2 children in Josephine Co. with whooping cough

By Andrea Pettes

July 30, 2009

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Two children in Southern Oregon are recovering from pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

The two children, a six-month-old and a two-year-old, are related. They were confirmed by a Josephine County doctor Monday.

Health officials say the children have received medical attention and are doing well. It is unknown if they were vaccinated against pertussis.

These mark the third and fourth cases of whooping cough for Josephine County this year. Health officials expect more to pop-up once school starts again.

Experts say it is extremely rare for the disease to break out during summer months. The respiratory disease is caused by bacteria. Pertussis can occur at any age, but infants and young children are at highest risk of life threatening consequences.

"The very young stop breathing, middle aged kids receive a bad cough followed by nearly passing out then they whoop, when they breathe in," Pediatrician Dr. Neil Phillips said.

Doctors say the best way to fight childhood diseases is to keep your kids immunized.

[Shiloh]

Re: OR: Whooping cough

Source: http://kdrv.com/page/139962

Whooping cough cases confirmed in Josephine Co.

KDRV Staff

September 2, 2009

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Health officials in Josephine County are concerned about an increasing number of whooping cough cases, also known as pertussis.

In the past few days five new cases of the bacterial disease have been confirmed in Grants Pass, bringing the total number of cases in the county this year to nine. In all of 2008 the county only saw one case.

Health officials are especially concerned about kids who have not been vaccinated.

Whooping cough is a respiratory disease that causes coughing spells that can be so severe it can make it hard for infants to eat, drink or breath.

[Shiloh]

Re: OR: Whooping cough

Source: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs...NEWS/909050312

Whooping cough resurgence
Nine cases have been confirmed in Jackson County in six months, two of them infants

By Anita Burke
Mail Tribune

Scattered cases of whooping cough have shown up across Southern Oregon this summer, prompting renewed concern for health officials as children head back to school and prime fall and winter conditions for spreading respiratory illnesses loom.

In the past six months, nine cases of pertussis ? also known as whooping cough ? have been confirmed in Jackson County, including two infants who had to be hospitalized, said Marlene Sadler, a public health nurse working in communicable diseases and maternal and child health at the Jackson County Health Department.


"It is definitely out there," she said. "This year it is more widespread."

In March through August 2008, the county saw only six cases, four of which were in one family, Sadler said.

Josephine County also has seen a significant increase in the number of cases, with nine cases reported so far this year, up from just a single case in 2008.

In the final days of August, two pertussis infections were confirmed and three additional cases were suspected in two Grants Pass families with children ranging in age between 8 and 16, the Josephine County Health Department reported in a recent news release.

This year in Jackson County, the cases have ranged from the babies who were treated at hospitals to adults who just thought they had a bad cold, Sadler said.

Pertussis is a bacterial infection that is spread in tiny droplets expelled into the air when an ill person coughs or sneezes. The first cold-like symptoms ? runny nose, sneezing, mild fever and cough ? appear five to 21 days after a person is infected, health officials said. After one to two weeks, the cough worsens and strong coughing fits, accompanied by the tell-tale whooping sound as young patients try to catch their breaths, develop. Severe coughing fits can make eating, drinking and even breathing difficult, especially for babies. The coughing can result in vomiting and loss of consciousness, the National Institutes of Health report.

This more severe, second phase can last six weeks or longer.

"With pertussis, people can get really sick and it can last a long time," Sadler said.

The disease can be treated with antibiotics, but prevention is important, too.

"We want to reduce it to as low a level as possible in the community," said Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County's public health medical officer.

He said that immunization not only protects an individual from the disease, it also limits the spread and protects the tiniest babies who are still too young to be immunized themselves.

Four doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, often abbreviated DTaP, are recommended for infants by the time they are 18 months old. The state requires children to have those four immunizations to enroll in Head Start or pre-school, or attend day care. One more DTaP shot is required for children to start kindergarten.

An adult version of the vaccine, known as Tdap, is recommended for people between the ages of 10 and 65. As of January 2009 that shot is now required for all incoming seventh-grade students. The Centers for Disease Control recommends all adults get a diphtheria-tetanus shot every 10 years and now advises that at least one of those shots over a lifetime should also include pertussis protection.

Oregon allows exemptions from the school requirements for medical or religious reasons. In 2007, 25 percent of Ashland kindergartners were exempted from at least one vaccine, far exceeding the average statewide exemption rate of about 4 percent. Much of the exemption activity appeared to be related to individuals' concerns about the safety or necessity of the vaccinations.

Sadler said some the current pertussis cases were in Ashland ? she did not have the specific number ? but also noted that the cases had popped up in a variety of communities.

Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com.

Inset:
Required vaccinations

All students entering kindergarten must have:

* 5 diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTaP) shots
* 4 doses of polio vaccine
* 1 Varicella (chickenpox) shot
* 2 measles shots
* 1 mumps shot
* 1 rubella shot
* 3 Hepatitis B shots
* 2 Hepatitis A shots

All students entering seventh grade also need:

1 adult booster shot to protect against tetanus, diptheria and pertussis

? Information from Oregon Department of Human Services

[Shiloh]

Re: OR: Whooping cough

Source: http://www.union-bulletin.com/articl...apertussis.txt

BREAKING NEWS: Whooping cough confirmed in Umatilla County
An infant who contracted the illness is recovering at home, officials say.
By SHEILA HAGAR of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

The Umatilla County Public Health Department today confirmed a case of pertussis, also called whooping cough, in Umatilla County infant.

Pertussis is a ?very? contagious disease caused by bacteria. While usually mild in older children and adults, the illness often causes serious problems in infants under age 1, health officials said.

The child is recovering at home.

?Parents can also help protect their very young infants by minimizing exposure with persons who have cold symptoms or coughs and washing your hands frequently,? noted Genni Lehnert, administrator for Umatilla County Public Health, adding that the first inoculation for pertussis is not given until a child is 2 months old.

Pertussis symptoms have two stages. The first stage, which lasts one to two weeks, begins like a cold, with a runny nose, sneezing, mild fever, and cough which slowly gets worse.

The second stage is marked by uncontrolled coughing spells and a whooping noise (in young children) when the person inhales. During severe coughing spells, a person may vomit or become blue in the face from lack of air. Between coughing spells, the person often appears to be well.

The coughing spells may be severe enough to make it hard for babies to eat, drink or breathe. This coughing stage may last for six or more weeks. Adults, teens, and vaccinated children often have milder symptoms that mimic bronchitis or asthma, Lehnert said.
*
The germs that cause pertussis live in the nose, mouth and throat and are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. Other people nearby can then inhale the germs. Touching a tissue or sharing a cup used by someone with pertussis can also spread the disease. The first symptoms usually appear about seven to 10 days after a person is exposed. Infants often get pertussis from older children or adults.

The vaccine given to young children wears off after a number of years. Adolescents and adults ages 10-64 can receive booster shots to enhance their immunity against pertussis.

Sheila Hagar can be reached at sheilahagar@wwub.com or 526-8322. Check out her blog at blogs.ublabs.org/fromthestorageroom.