Community wide outbreak of Pertussis emerges
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LAKE COUNTY – While a vaccination usually prevents whooping cough, there have been 19 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in recent weeks. School children at St. Ignatius High School, St. Ignatius Elementary School, St. Ignatius Head Start, and Arlee Elementary School have contracted the illness.
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is an illness that starts out with cold-like symptoms and can develop into a violent cough. Those affected may have trouble catching their breath after coughing. The illness is most dangerous for infants, who can stop breathing if they are infected. Pregnant women and those whose immune systems are compromised are also at risk of serious illness if exposed.
The illness can be treated with antibiotics. All family members and others who have been in close contact with infected individuals are being treated.
Whooping cough is extremely contagious. The illness spreads through coughing, sneezing or close contact. Those who are not vaccinated are extremely susceptible to the illness if exposed. Those who are immunized can contract the illness, but it is typically less severe.
According to Leigh Estvold, public health nurse at Lake County Public Health, infants should get their first dose of pertussis vaccine at the age of two months. The vaccine is required for children who attend daycare or public school, but some students receive exemptions from the vaccines for religious reasons. Adults should get one dose of the Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis. Pregnant women should be given one dose of the vaccine for each pregnancy.
The majority of the cases of pertussis were found in children aged five to ten. Only four of the cases were in individuals over the age of ten. Thirteen of the people who contracted the illness had not been vaccinated, four were under-vaccinated and two had been fully vaccinated.
Those who suspect they may have whooping cough should call their primary care provider instead of going into the clinic. Healthcare professionals will work with those who may have the illness to provide a diagnosis and treatment. It is important for those who may be infected not to go to a clinic without consulting a doctor first, as they may infect other patients.
All parents at the schools where cases of the illness were found have been informed, and measures are being taken to ensure that students who are infected will not return to school while contagious.
According to Estvold, the most recent case was reported on May 29. The Public Health department will wait until the incubation period for the illness is over before determining that the outbreak is finished. “We’re hoping we’re at the end of it,” Estvold said.
