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Source: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/11/11/sns111108whooping.html
Whooping cough cases on the rise in Clark County
By Elaine Morris Roberts
Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Springfield Twp., Ohio ? When Angela Chatfield's seven year-old daughter, Evie started coughing a few weeks ago, the mother of the second grader never thought it might be whooping cough.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious respiratory infection spread by direct contact with fluids from the nose or mouth of infected people or by breathing airborne droplets they expel during coughing or sneezing.
"She (Evie) has been fully immunized, but she was still infected," said Angela.
Evie was the second confirmed case at her school and has been home for a week. Her immediate family and grandparents have all been treated with prophylactic antibiotics as a precaution.
"If a child is diagnosed, she needs to be out of school for five days and on appropriate antibiotic therapy," said Christina Conover, director of nursing at the Clark County Combined Health District.
Treating entire families as a precaution, as with the Chatfields, is important in lessening the spread of pertussis and more doctors are offering this option to their patients, Conover said.
So far this year, there have been 44 cases of pertussis reported in Clark County. All but one have been reported since Sept. 1, Conover said, and some have been in families with multiple children. There were only four cases reported in 2007.
The health district works closely with area physicians and schools to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment, Conover said.
In the county, the disease has affected patients from two months to 74 years old, but most cases have been seen in children between seven and 10 years old, she added.
Statewide, there have been 631 cases reported as of Saturday, Nov. 8, said ODH spokesperson Kristopher Weiss.
There have been parents who express concern about non-immunized children being the cause of the disease, but Weiss said vaccination rates have remained steady in Ohio for many years.
"We cannot be sure if the larger number of cases is due to increased awareness and therefore better reporting or the vaccinations of older children starting to wane, making them more susceptible," he said.
Infants and young children receive a series of three vaccinations and two boosters by age six; effectiveness may begin to lessen by age 11 or so, Weiss said.
Vaccines for older children and adults are available from private physicians or the health district.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.
Whooping cough cases on the rise in Clark County
By Elaine Morris Roberts
Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Springfield Twp., Ohio ? When Angela Chatfield's seven year-old daughter, Evie started coughing a few weeks ago, the mother of the second grader never thought it might be whooping cough.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious respiratory infection spread by direct contact with fluids from the nose or mouth of infected people or by breathing airborne droplets they expel during coughing or sneezing.
"She (Evie) has been fully immunized, but she was still infected," said Angela.
Evie was the second confirmed case at her school and has been home for a week. Her immediate family and grandparents have all been treated with prophylactic antibiotics as a precaution.
"If a child is diagnosed, she needs to be out of school for five days and on appropriate antibiotic therapy," said Christina Conover, director of nursing at the Clark County Combined Health District.
Treating entire families as a precaution, as with the Chatfields, is important in lessening the spread of pertussis and more doctors are offering this option to their patients, Conover said.
So far this year, there have been 44 cases of pertussis reported in Clark County. All but one have been reported since Sept. 1, Conover said, and some have been in families with multiple children. There were only four cases reported in 2007.
The health district works closely with area physicians and schools to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment, Conover said.
In the county, the disease has affected patients from two months to 74 years old, but most cases have been seen in children between seven and 10 years old, she added.
Statewide, there have been 631 cases reported as of Saturday, Nov. 8, said ODH spokesperson Kristopher Weiss.
There have been parents who express concern about non-immunized children being the cause of the disease, but Weiss said vaccination rates have remained steady in Ohio for many years.
"We cannot be sure if the larger number of cases is due to increased awareness and therefore better reporting or the vaccinations of older children starting to wane, making them more susceptible," he said.
Infants and young children receive a series of three vaccinations and two boosters by age six; effectiveness may begin to lessen by age 11 or so, Weiss said.
Vaccines for older children and adults are available from private physicians or the health district.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.