Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Re: Australia. Whooping cough: Nationwide Epidemic risk-19,000 cases
Source: http://magnetictimes.com/article-3219.html
September 10th 2009
Whooping cough on Magnetic Island
Seven or possibly ten cases of the highly infectious respiritory infection, whooping cough (pertussis), have been confirmed among school-aged children on Magnetic Island.
Dr Bill Glavin, from the Horseshoe Bay Medical Centre, said, "A lot more have been presumptively treated," as up to ten more patients, mainly school-aged children from families where a member has had the infection confirmed, have also presented at his surgery with hooping cough symptoms.
Dr Glavin also told Magnetic Times that children he had seen had already been immunised but had still contracted the infection. He believes the vaccines were changed about 10 or 12 years ago to a newer type which seems to be less effective. "It is known that the vaccines always wane over time but these kids were vaccinated in their first four years of life and should still be covered at eight to ten years of age."
Dr Steven Donohue, Public Health Medical Officer, Tropical Population Health Unit, Townsville has confirmed that, "In line with the nation-wide outbreak of pertussis - which is running at roughly four times an average year - we have received notifications of whooping cough on Magnetic Island.
Figures were not available specifically for Magnetic Island but the Tropical Population Health Unit was able to confirm that there had been 3,404 cases reported across Queensland from Jan 1 to 13 August this year . In the same period for 2008 the number was 902. This year's rate in the Townsville region was actually lower than the rest of Queensland with 74.5 cases per 100,000 while the state-wide figure was 81.4 cases per 100,000.
Magnetic Times has yet to confirm numbers from the other doctors on the Island but understands that at least two more cases have been identified.
Dr Glavin said the first case he had confirmed was in January, in a patient who had arrived on Magnetic Island.
Following is information about whooping cough as provided in a fact sheet from the Tropical Population Health Unit.
Description:
Whooping cough (or pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by bacteria. It can affect babies, children and adults. For adolescents and adults the infection may only be a persistent cough, however for young children whooping cough can be life threatening. The cough can obstruct a baby's breathing and they may lack oxygen and become blue.
Symptoms:
Whooping cough may start like a cold, with a runny nose and sneezing, and then the characteristic cough develops. These coughing bouts can be very severe and frightening, and may end with a crowing noise (the whoop). This occurs as air is drawn back into the chest, and can be followed by vomiting or gagging. In young infants, as well as older children and adults, the typical symptoms may not be present. After exposure to the bacteria, it usually takes nine to ten days to become ill.
Transmission:
The bacteria are spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing. Direct contact with infected secretions from the mouth or nose can also pass on the infection. A person is highly infectious for the first two weeks of their cough. After three weeks of coughing, the person is regarded as non-infectious, even though coughing may last up to three months.
Treatment:
Treatment is a full course of antibiotics which reduces the time a person is infectious to others. Antibiotics need to be given within 21 days of the start of general symptoms or within 14 days of the start of the cough. Antibiotics reduce symptoms if given when infection is developing, after contact with a person with pertussis and in the early coughing stage.
Not all people who have close contact with an infected person with whooping cough need treatment. However, because infants are at a higher risk of severe complications if they develop whooping cough, a full course of antibiotics is recommended for the following people in the same house as a person with whooping cough (if the infected person has been coughing less than 21 days. This includes:
* any baby less than 12 months of age regardless of their vaccination status
* any child between 12-24 months of age who has received less than three doses of a whooping cough vaccine.
* any woman in the last month of pregnancy any child or adult who attends or works in a childcare centre.
If a child with whooping cough attends childcare and belongs to the infant group (less than 12 months of age), the other infants in that group should be given antibiotics if the infected child has been coughing less than 14 days.
Control
A person with whooping cough should stay away from work, school and child-care until they have had full course of antibiotics, or until 21 days after the beginning of the coughing or until the end of coughing, which ever comes first.
Household contacts, who have received less than three doses of whooping cough vaccine, should be excluded from child-care centres until they have taken a full course of antibiotics or for 14 days after the last exposure to infection.
Prevention:
Whooping cough can be prevented by vaccination. The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is combined together with diphtheria, tetanus and inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (DTPa-IPV).
DTOa-IPV vaccine is recommended and provided free for:
*all babies at 2, 4 and 6 months of age; and
* a booster at 4 years of age.
The protection provided by childhood vaccination gradually reduces over time, leaving adolescents and adults potentially at risk of catching the disease. An adult-adolescent whooping cough vaccine, combined with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (dTpa), is now available.
A single booster dose of dTpa is recommended and provided free for: adolescents at 15 years of age, or year 10 students if vaccinated in a school based vaccination program.
A single booster dose of dTpa is recommended, but not funded for:
* adolescents at 15 to 17 years replacing the dose of ADT (dT);
* for both partners planning pregnancy, or for both parents as soon as possible after delivery of an infant;
* adults working with young children especially health-care and child-care workers;
* any adult requesting a booster dose of dTpa, provided they have received three previous doses of DTP; and dTpa may be used instead of ADT vaccine at 50 years of age.
Help and Assistance
For further information please contact your local doctor, community health centre, nearest population health unit or contact the 13HEALTH information line (13 432584).
Story: George Hirst
Source: http://magnetictimes.com/article-3219.html
September 10th 2009
Whooping cough on Magnetic Island
Seven or possibly ten cases of the highly infectious respiritory infection, whooping cough (pertussis), have been confirmed among school-aged children on Magnetic Island.
Dr Bill Glavin, from the Horseshoe Bay Medical Centre, said, "A lot more have been presumptively treated," as up to ten more patients, mainly school-aged children from families where a member has had the infection confirmed, have also presented at his surgery with hooping cough symptoms.
Dr Glavin also told Magnetic Times that children he had seen had already been immunised but had still contracted the infection. He believes the vaccines were changed about 10 or 12 years ago to a newer type which seems to be less effective. "It is known that the vaccines always wane over time but these kids were vaccinated in their first four years of life and should still be covered at eight to ten years of age."
Dr Steven Donohue, Public Health Medical Officer, Tropical Population Health Unit, Townsville has confirmed that, "In line with the nation-wide outbreak of pertussis - which is running at roughly four times an average year - we have received notifications of whooping cough on Magnetic Island.
Figures were not available specifically for Magnetic Island but the Tropical Population Health Unit was able to confirm that there had been 3,404 cases reported across Queensland from Jan 1 to 13 August this year . In the same period for 2008 the number was 902. This year's rate in the Townsville region was actually lower than the rest of Queensland with 74.5 cases per 100,000 while the state-wide figure was 81.4 cases per 100,000.
Magnetic Times has yet to confirm numbers from the other doctors on the Island but understands that at least two more cases have been identified.
Dr Glavin said the first case he had confirmed was in January, in a patient who had arrived on Magnetic Island.
Following is information about whooping cough as provided in a fact sheet from the Tropical Population Health Unit.
Description:
Whooping cough (or pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by bacteria. It can affect babies, children and adults. For adolescents and adults the infection may only be a persistent cough, however for young children whooping cough can be life threatening. The cough can obstruct a baby's breathing and they may lack oxygen and become blue.
Symptoms:
Whooping cough may start like a cold, with a runny nose and sneezing, and then the characteristic cough develops. These coughing bouts can be very severe and frightening, and may end with a crowing noise (the whoop). This occurs as air is drawn back into the chest, and can be followed by vomiting or gagging. In young infants, as well as older children and adults, the typical symptoms may not be present. After exposure to the bacteria, it usually takes nine to ten days to become ill.
Transmission:
The bacteria are spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing. Direct contact with infected secretions from the mouth or nose can also pass on the infection. A person is highly infectious for the first two weeks of their cough. After three weeks of coughing, the person is regarded as non-infectious, even though coughing may last up to three months.
Treatment:
Treatment is a full course of antibiotics which reduces the time a person is infectious to others. Antibiotics need to be given within 21 days of the start of general symptoms or within 14 days of the start of the cough. Antibiotics reduce symptoms if given when infection is developing, after contact with a person with pertussis and in the early coughing stage.
Not all people who have close contact with an infected person with whooping cough need treatment. However, because infants are at a higher risk of severe complications if they develop whooping cough, a full course of antibiotics is recommended for the following people in the same house as a person with whooping cough (if the infected person has been coughing less than 21 days. This includes:
* any baby less than 12 months of age regardless of their vaccination status
* any child between 12-24 months of age who has received less than three doses of a whooping cough vaccine.
* any woman in the last month of pregnancy any child or adult who attends or works in a childcare centre.
If a child with whooping cough attends childcare and belongs to the infant group (less than 12 months of age), the other infants in that group should be given antibiotics if the infected child has been coughing less than 14 days.
Control
A person with whooping cough should stay away from work, school and child-care until they have had full course of antibiotics, or until 21 days after the beginning of the coughing or until the end of coughing, which ever comes first.
Household contacts, who have received less than three doses of whooping cough vaccine, should be excluded from child-care centres until they have taken a full course of antibiotics or for 14 days after the last exposure to infection.
Prevention:
Whooping cough can be prevented by vaccination. The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is combined together with diphtheria, tetanus and inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (DTPa-IPV).
DTOa-IPV vaccine is recommended and provided free for:
*all babies at 2, 4 and 6 months of age; and
* a booster at 4 years of age.
The protection provided by childhood vaccination gradually reduces over time, leaving adolescents and adults potentially at risk of catching the disease. An adult-adolescent whooping cough vaccine, combined with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (dTpa), is now available.
A single booster dose of dTpa is recommended and provided free for: adolescents at 15 years of age, or year 10 students if vaccinated in a school based vaccination program.
A single booster dose of dTpa is recommended, but not funded for:
* adolescents at 15 to 17 years replacing the dose of ADT (dT);
* for both partners planning pregnancy, or for both parents as soon as possible after delivery of an infant;
* adults working with young children especially health-care and child-care workers;
* any adult requesting a booster dose of dTpa, provided they have received three previous doses of DTP; and dTpa may be used instead of ADT vaccine at 50 years of age.
Help and Assistance
For further information please contact your local doctor, community health centre, nearest population health unit or contact the 13HEALTH information line (13 432584).
Story: George Hirst