The Health Department is investigating a cluster of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in Carroll County.  Health Department medical professionals are working closely with local doctors, the schools and community leaders to reduce the spread of disease.

Keys in controlling pertussis are to ensure vaccination of children and adults and to treat cases and their close contacts with appropriate antibiotics.  Children routinely should receive four doses of a vaccine (DTaP) by 15 months of age and an additional dose of DTaP before they start school.  Adolescents and adults should receive the new pertussis vaccine (Tdap) recommended for ages 10 through 64 years.  Since many infants who get pertussis are infected by older siblings, parents or other caregivers who might not even know they have the disease, it is important for other age groups to be vaccinated.  Only one dose of Tdap vaccine is recommended.

Those diagnosed with pertussis should stay home from daycare, school or work until after the fifth day of antibiotic treatment to prevent the spread of the disease.  Children who have been exposed to pertussis and who also have an exemption from the pertussis immunization requirement may be excluded from school and daycare settings. Close contacts need preventive treatment but may continue routine activities if they have no symptoms.  Carroll County residents can receive vaccine from their family physician or from the local health unit in Carroll County.

Whooping cough can be a very serious illness, particularly for infants less than one year of age.  The disease is spread through droplets and coughing.  The illness begins with symptoms similar to a common cold.  Young children sometimes later develop coughing “fits,” usually 15 to 20 times a day.  The high-pitched “whoop” for which the illness is named occurs when they try to catch their breath between coughs.  Vomiting may follow a coughing fit.  Adults usually have milder symptoms.  Those with coughing symptoms or who think they may have been exposed should be evaluated by their doctor.

 

The protection from disease provided by the childhood vaccine decreases over time, leaving adolescents and adults vulnerable to infection.  Throughout the U.S., more pertussis in teens and adults is being recognized and small outbreaks are not unusual.

 

Physicians in Carroll County have been alerted to watch for an increase in cough illnesses in their patients.  Dr. Sandra Snow, medical director, Communicable Disease/Immunization Section says, “The timing of these cases is unfortunate, coming near the start of the school year.  It may be difficult to tell when patients have whooping cough and when they have a common cold.  We are working very diligently to determine who is at risk and take appropriate preventive actions to stem the tide of whooping cough in Carroll County.”

 

The Health Department will issue further health advisories as necessary. 

Pertussis Fact Sheet

What is pertussis?

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease involving the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and chest).  It is caused by a bacteria that is found in the nose and throat of an infected person.

Who gets pertussis?

Pertussis can occur at any age.  Adults and adolescents have recently been recognized as a major source of pertussis, accounting for as many as 25% of reported cases.  The rest of the cases are in children less than 5 years of age. Approximately 35% of reported cases currently occur in infants younger than 6 months.

How is pertussis spread?

Pertussis is primarily spread by direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat of infected individuals.  Frequently, older siblings who may be harboring the bacteria in their nose and throat can bring the disease home and infect an infant in the household.

What are the symptoms of pertussis?

Pertussis begins as a mild upper respiratory infection.  Initially, symptoms resemble those of a common cold, including sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever and mild cough.  Within two weeks, the cough becomes more severe and is characterized by episodes of numerous rapid coughs followed by a crowing or high-pitched whoop.  A thick, clear mucous may be discharged.  These episodes may recur for one to two months and are more frequent at night.

How soon after infection do symptoms appear?

The incubation period is 6-20 days, usually 7-10 days.

When and for how long is a person able to spread pertussis?

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A person can transmit pertussis from seven days following exposure to three weeks after the onset of coughing episodes.  The period of communicability is reduced to 5 days when antibiotic therapy is begun.

What can be done to prevent the spread of pertussis?

The single most effective control measure is maintaining the highest possible level of immunization in the community.  Close contacts younger than 7 years who are unimmunized or who have received fewer than four doses of pertussis vaccine should have pertussis immunization initiated or continued, according to the recommended schedule. 

Also, there is a pertussis vaccine (Tdap) that is now available and should be given to adolescents and adults ages 10 through 64 years.  This is a one-dose recommendation.  This immunization will not only help prevent pertussis in adolescents and adults but will help reduce exposure of the disease from this age group to younger children and infants.

Treatment with appropriate antibiotics can shorten the contagious period of cases as well as protect close contacts.  Any persons who have been in contact with an infected individual should see their physician if they develop respiratory symptoms for 14 days after the last contact with the infected individual.