The County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) is working with officials at two local schools to notify students, parents, and staff who may have been exposed to pertussis or whooping cough.
A 16-year-old student from Escondido High School and a 6-year-old from Cardiff Elementary School were determined to have the disease. Both students were up-to-date with the pertussis vaccine.
To date, 107 whooping cough cases have been reported in the region this year. A total of 400 pertussis cases were reported locally in 2011.
“Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that can be prevented by getting vaccinated,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., public health officer for the County. “While immunity from the vaccine wanes sooner than initially thought, vaccinated people who contract the disease experience milder symptoms.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get doses of DTaP vaccine at the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. Health officials also recommend that preteens and adults get a Tdap booster. The ultimate goal is to prevent deaths that can result as a complication of pertussis. Infants under one year old are especially vulnerable.
Parents can obtain the vaccine series and the Tdap booster shot for themselves and their children through their primary care physicians. Local retail pharmacies offer vaccinations for a fee, and anyone who is not covered by a medical insurance plan can get the shot from a County Public Health Center at no cost.
A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.
For more information about whooping cough and ongoing vaccination clinics, call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit www.sdiz.org.
