Whooping cough epidemic makes itself known Adams County, health officials encourage action

The pertinence and severity of pertussis is growing in Adams County, especially with the confirmed case of a four-month-old girl.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has been declared an epidemic in the state of Washington since April 3.

The Adams County Health Department is stressing the importance of residents receiving the appropriate vaccinations in order to stop the spread of the disease. There have been eight confirmed cases of whooping cough this year within Adams County, and it is believed many other cases have not been positively confirmed.

Whooping cough is an illness caused by bacteria and is highly contagious. It mainly affects the respiratory system and is very serious, as it can cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage and death.

Children under the age of seven are recommended to receive DTaP, a vaccination that prevents diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. The Washington State Department of Health website states that children should have five doses of DTaP, with the first dose being administered at two months old.

The following four doses should be received at four months, six months, fifteen to eighteen months, and four to six years old.

Individuals over the age of seven can receive a Tdap vaccine, which also protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

Any individual who works closely with babies less than 12 months of age is strongly encouraged to receive the vaccination, as whooping cough is particularly dangerous for infants.

The first case of confirmed whooping cough within this county was reported to the health department in March, with four more cases occurring during the summer months.

The past three cases have all been confirmed within the month of October.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, 4,424 pertussis cases have been reported in 2012 within the state. Last year, only 595 cases were confirmed within the same 43-week time period. The age groups with the highest rate of infection are children under the age of one, and children 10-13 years of age.

In Adams County, the youngest confirmed case of whooping cough this year is four-month-old Mae McRae. Mae’s parents, Luke and Trish, first noticed Mae’s nighttime coughing in early October, but the first doctor’s visit proved inconclusive, as Mae did not have any physical symptoms that she was unwell.

Mae’s pediatrician believed that the cough would reduce over the weekend with the assistance of a humidifier and elevating her upper body while sleeping. Three days after the visit, Luke and Trish became even more concerned with their daughter’s condition.

“The coughing episodes were more frequent, more severe, and were accompanied by vomiting. On Sunday night, for the first time, her coughs had the characteristic whooping sound as she struggled to breathe. I was pretty sure after that first whooping sound that she had pertussis,” Trish said.

Symptoms of whooping cough differ based on age. Mae’s symptoms are consistent for babies and young children, while symptoms in adults can be a bad cough, runny nose and a fever.

“Her worst coughing episodes lasted over three minutes. They mostly occurred at nighttime. It would start with a few of small coughs that would quickly ramp up to a steady series of coughs interrupted by whooping sounds as she tried to breathe,” Trish explained. “As the cough progressed, her face turned red with a bluish tint around her eyes, nose, and mouth, her heart would race and she would start to sweat.”

After whooping cough is positively diagnosed, antibiotics are immediately provided for treatment. For the McRae’s, the family completed a five-day antibiotic regimen, recommended by Mae’s pediatrician and the Adams County Health Department.

Luke and Trish also have two other young children, one who had received the five doses of DTaP and another child who has received four doses. Both Luke and Trish have received their Tdap vaccination as well.

In a letter sent by the Adams County Health Department to parents of students in the Othello School District, the department stated, “Anyone with any of the signs … should contact your health care provider or Adams County Health Department. If you go to your health care provider with any of these symptoms, please ask for a mask and put it on. Everyone should wash their hands frequently, cover your cough and/or sneeze into your arm and stay at home if ill.”

The Adams County Health Department has the Tdap vaccine available for families that may have difficulty affording the vaccination. Give Immunity Fight Transmission (GIFT) vaccine eligibility requirements are, individuals must be between 19-64 years of age, have no insurance that covers the cost of a Tdap vaccination, and have a month income at, or below, 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

For more information about whooping cough or vaccinations, contact the Adams County Heath Department at 659-3316, or visit the Washington State Department of Health’s website, http://www.doh.wa.gov.

Vaccination is important to help reduce the spread of whooping cough in Adams County and the state.

As Trish explained, “I am hoping our experience will encourage more adults to get their TdaP. Many adults don’t realize that the DTaP vaccines they received as youth are only good for a maximum of 20 years. You don’t only need the Tdap to protect others, you need it to protect yourself.”