| HANFORD - Kings County is experiencing an outbreak
of whooping cough, also known as pertussis.
In the last six months, six children
have been hospitalized. One child was
two. The rest were under six months
of age. The disease in older children
and adults presents several diagnostic
challenges and is infrequently diagnosed.
The cases were widely spread throughout
the community. These six cases present
strong evidence that there is widespread
transmission in our community. While
these six children have done well,
whooping cough in infants is a serious
disease that occasionally causes death.
84% of the deaths in the United States
due to whooping cough occur in infants
less than three months old.
In adolescents and adults the disease
is pretty unremarkable except for the
cough. Typically the cough follows a
one week cold-like illness. The cough
occurs in clusters lasting minutes. The
coughing can be quite violent and is
sometimes associated with vomiting, loss
of bladder control and rib fractures.
Slowly the cough improves but can persist
for 6 weeks or more. The infectious period,
when the victim can transmit the disease,
can last up to three weeks. Infants are
typically infected by the adolescents
and adults in their family or daycare
circle.
We
can prevent whooping cough with vaccination.
Prior to the introduction of a vaccine
in the 1940s, there were around 175,000
cases of whooping cough reported a year
in the U.S. The vaccine is effective
but its protection tends to wane over
time, in about 6-8 years. The disease
itself doesn’t confer life-long
immunity. Infants can’t be vaccinated
until they are 2 months old. They should
receive second and third doses at four
months and six months. They probably
aren’t fully protected until they
are about one year old.
Besides seeing
that infants complete the vaccination
schedule on time, we protect infants
by protecting them from people who might
have whooping cough. Infants should be
kept at least three feet away from anyone
who has a cold or a suspicious cough.
The one exception is the infant’s
nursing mother. The other strategy is
to vaccinate the circle of family members
and other care providers.
All children should complete a six dose
schedule, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months,
15 months, 4-6 years and 11-12 years.
All the recommended preadolescent doses
of vaccines are frequently missed. All
adults less than 64 years old should
receive one dose of vaccine for pertussis
(whooping cough). Ideally this recommended
vaccine would be explored as part of
a preconception plan. Although not contraindicated,
vaccination of pregnant women is generally
not recommended and vaccination should
be offered to the new mother at her first
visit after delivery. Families with infants
and those with expected newborns should
review their vaccination needs with their
primary care provider or with the health
department. Nonfamily care providers
should consider being vaccinated for
whooping cough.The vaccine is quite inexpensive.
Learn
More about Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - CDC
Link |
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