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Source: http://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.ssf/2009/01/whooping_cough_cluster_reporte.html
Whooping cough cluster reported
by Curtis Leeds / Hunterdon County Democrat
Friday January 09, 2009, 6:13 PM
The county Health Department continues its investigation of a "cluster" of cases of whooping cough. Spokesman Carl Rachel said the process is "ongoing" and that the state Department of Health and Senior Services is helping coordinate it.
"It's very contagious bacteria" that causes the disease, Mr. Rachel said, and is most serious in infants less than 1 year old. He said the department has confirmed seven recent cases traced to Clinton Public School and an eighth in a student at Three Bridges School in Readington Township. Their ages range from 7 to 9 and Mr. Rachel said the children "have been treated and are doing fine." Family members are being treated as a precaution, he added.
Wayne Fellmeth, a pediatrician at Hunterdon Pediatric Associates, said the disease, officially named pertussis, is also called the "100 Days Cough" because of it duration. Although there is a vaccine for the disease, it's only about 80% to 85% effective, he said. His practice of 11 physicians sees at least one case a year, he said, and two to three cases a year are not uncommon. "It has a cycle, like cicadas," he said, so outbreaks are expected every five to seven years.
Improved vaccines have reduced infection, Dr. Fellmeth said. Even though they're not completely effective, "they're the best we've got." An alert to healthcare professionals from Karen Alelis, an epidemiologist with the county Health Department, said the latest victims were "up-to-date with their pertussis vaccine shots."
Mr. Rachel said the Health Department identified 10 "confirmed and probable" incidents of whooping cough in 2007. As of Monday, his department had identified ten cases of the illness in 2008.
It's the pattern of coughing that helps doctors identify the illness. Victims can cough continuously for four to five minutes; in severe cases - usually infants - death can occur. Many adults often get whooping cough but have only mild symptoms and never know they've contracted the illness, which is named for the gasping of air that follows the coughing attack. "It's like coming up for air after being underwater for too long," Dr. Fellmeth said. Once the coughing starts, he said, there's nothing doctors can do to shorten the illness. Antibiotic treatment can help reduce the length of time a victim remains contagious.
Whooping cough is most dangerous in infants, Dr. Fellmeth said, and adults "are the reservoir" who harbor the bacteria. He suggests that anyone who's around babies - including parents and older children - get immunized against it. If you had a tetanus booster shot in the last three years, Dr. Fellmeth said, you're probably protected against whooping cough; the vaccine, called Tdap, contains the latest whooping cough vaccine. "It's as important as a flu shot," he said. Anyone who suspects they or their children have whooping cough should contact their physician, he said.
Mr. Rachel said the disease is spread mostly through the air by close or direct contact from those who have the bacteria. He recommends the vaccine, but also suggests "keeping your distance" as a way to help prevent it.
Whooping cough cluster reported
by Curtis Leeds / Hunterdon County Democrat
Friday January 09, 2009, 6:13 PM
The county Health Department continues its investigation of a "cluster" of cases of whooping cough. Spokesman Carl Rachel said the process is "ongoing" and that the state Department of Health and Senior Services is helping coordinate it.
"It's very contagious bacteria" that causes the disease, Mr. Rachel said, and is most serious in infants less than 1 year old. He said the department has confirmed seven recent cases traced to Clinton Public School and an eighth in a student at Three Bridges School in Readington Township. Their ages range from 7 to 9 and Mr. Rachel said the children "have been treated and are doing fine." Family members are being treated as a precaution, he added.
Wayne Fellmeth, a pediatrician at Hunterdon Pediatric Associates, said the disease, officially named pertussis, is also called the "100 Days Cough" because of it duration. Although there is a vaccine for the disease, it's only about 80% to 85% effective, he said. His practice of 11 physicians sees at least one case a year, he said, and two to three cases a year are not uncommon. "It has a cycle, like cicadas," he said, so outbreaks are expected every five to seven years.
Improved vaccines have reduced infection, Dr. Fellmeth said. Even though they're not completely effective, "they're the best we've got." An alert to healthcare professionals from Karen Alelis, an epidemiologist with the county Health Department, said the latest victims were "up-to-date with their pertussis vaccine shots."
Mr. Rachel said the Health Department identified 10 "confirmed and probable" incidents of whooping cough in 2007. As of Monday, his department had identified ten cases of the illness in 2008.
It's the pattern of coughing that helps doctors identify the illness. Victims can cough continuously for four to five minutes; in severe cases - usually infants - death can occur. Many adults often get whooping cough but have only mild symptoms and never know they've contracted the illness, which is named for the gasping of air that follows the coughing attack. "It's like coming up for air after being underwater for too long," Dr. Fellmeth said. Once the coughing starts, he said, there's nothing doctors can do to shorten the illness. Antibiotic treatment can help reduce the length of time a victim remains contagious.
Whooping cough is most dangerous in infants, Dr. Fellmeth said, and adults "are the reservoir" who harbor the bacteria. He suggests that anyone who's around babies - including parents and older children - get immunized against it. If you had a tetanus booster shot in the last three years, Dr. Fellmeth said, you're probably protected against whooping cough; the vaccine, called Tdap, contains the latest whooping cough vaccine. "It's as important as a flu shot," he said. Anyone who suspects they or their children have whooping cough should contact their physician, he said.
Mr. Rachel said the disease is spread mostly through the air by close or direct contact from those who have the bacteria. He recommends the vaccine, but also suggests "keeping your distance" as a way to help prevent it.