What is whooping cough?
• Officially known as pertussis, whooping cough is a contagious illness spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs and another person breathes in the bacteria.
• The disease can occur in any age but may be severe in infants or children — especially those who haven’t been vaccinated. Even those who received the vaccine can get the disease because immunity wanes over time.
• Symptoms of pertussis typically appear between seven to 10 days after exposure but can develop weeks after. It starts with cold-like symptoms but can become more severe and be marked by coughing fits and a whooping sound. If a person’s cough lasts more than two weeks, he or she should see a doctor.
• Visit http://bit.ly/whoopingfacts for more information.
Counties across the state continue to report whooping cough cases, making it the worst season for the disease in at least six decades.
Larimer County, however, is reporting some of the lowest rates of whooping cough in Colorado; only six of 24 counties had fewer reported cases between Jan. 1 and April 6. There were 15 cases reported in Larimer County during that time, compared with Boulder County’s 54 and Weld County’s 22, according to data from the Colorado health department.
“We are part of a national problem,” said Eric Aakko, spokesman for Weld County’s health department.
The last booster vaccine, known as Tdap, came out in 2005-06. Meant for adolescent children and adults, it appears the vaccine is losing effectiveness, said Joe Peden, epidemiologist with Weld County’s Department of Public Health and Environment. There’s also speculation the bacteria has mutated, rendering the vaccine less able to fight it.
Despite these developments, health departments still encourage people to get vaccinated.
“It does offer some protection,” Peden said.
Jane Viste, spokeswoman for the Larimer County health department, said 15 cases during that time period is “about average” in a county that had 80 reported cases in 2012. Several of those cases were reported among students and adults within Poudre School District schools.
Viste said Larimer County’s health department saw an uptick in the number of cases last summer for unknown reasons. When asked if that same increase is expected in summer 2013, she said, “We just can’t predict that at all.”
Whooping cough — officially known as pertussis — is a contagious illness spread by sneezes and coughs. It’s usually most dangerous for babies, children, pregnant women and the elderly, especially those with compromised immune systems and respiratory conditions.
The state health department announced in December cases reported numbered 1,407. That’s the highest on number on record since 1948, when 1,833 cases were reported, according to The Associated Press.