Whooping cough outbreak noted in Grants Pass
From our weekly issue dated September 09, 2009
Josephine County Public Health received confirmation of two positive and three presumptive cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, in Grants Pass on Monday, Aug. 31. The cases are in two families with children between the ages of 8 and 16.
These cases raise Josephine County’s pertussis total to nine for 2009. In 2008, the county had only one case.
Children who have not been vaccinated against pertussis are at higher risk of contracting the disease, said Josephine County Public Health Dept. The department provides vaccinations against pertussis at its office, located at 715 NW Dimmick St. in Grants Pass, from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Pertussis is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria. It often causes serious problems in babies, but usually is milder in older children and adults. It can occur at any age, but infants and young children are at highest risk of life-threatening consequences.
The first symptoms usually appear five to 21 days after a person is infected, and include runny nose, sneezing, mild fever and cough. After one or two weeks, the cough gets worse and usually starts to occur in strong coughing fits, which may last six weeks or longer.
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In young children, coughing fits often are followed by a whooping sound as they try to catch their breath. After coughing, infected people may have difficulty catching their breath, vomit or become blue in the face from lack of air. The coughing spells may be so severe that it could be hard for babies to eat, drink or breathe.
The illness can be very dangerous for infants. Almost half of the 342 infants diagnosed with pertussis in Oregon since 2000 have had to be hospitalized. Four infants in the state have died of the disease since 2003.
A doctor may diagnose pertussis based on symptoms and laboratory tests. It can be treated with antibiotics.
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