Old disease making big comeback

The best way to keep babies from dying of whooping cough is to prevent them from getting it.

That is the message the Colusa County Health Department is trying to get out, after state health officials declared pertussis an epidemic in California.

It’s an old disease that is making a big comeback, according to Dr. Lou Anne Cummings, Colusa County deputy public health officer.

“Pertussis is on the rise in California,” Cummings said.

Pertussis is caused by a bacteria that infects the nose and throat, Cummings said, and tends to spread among family members.

More than 900 cases of whooping cough have been confirmed as of June 15 – four times the amount reported during the same time period last year – and five infants have died.

Another 600 unconfirmed cases are awaiting test results, enough to suspect that California is on pace to suffer the most illnesses and deaths due to pertussis in 50 years, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The epidemic is concern enough for local officials to make sure new and expectant moms, and others who may come in close contact with infants, are immunized.

“Infants have the highest risk for serious complications and the highest risk of dying,” Cummings said. “That is because they don’t get their first shot until they are two-months old, and don’t really begin to develop immunity until their second shot.”

Whooping cough in children and adults typically starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks or even months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound.

“Sometimes children will cough so hard they can’t breath,” Cummings said. “It’s usually followed by a big whooping sound.”

Duration, Cummings said, is about six weeks, but can last for several months. In its early stages, it is often mistaken for cold. Fever is rare.

Pertussis is also cyclical, peaking every two to five years.

In 2005, California recorded 3,182 cases and seven deaths, according to state public health records.
Pertussis is highly contagious, but has been controlled for decades in the United States though vaccinations, Cummings said.

Children ages 2 months thorough kindergarten generally have five vaccinations against the disease, and a booster is now recommended for teenagers and adults.

Cummings said immunity to pertussis, unlike measles, drops off after five to 10 years.

The short-term effectiveness of the vaccines has led to the emergence of a large pool of adults and adolescents lacking immunity, who may transmit the bacteria to infants.

For that reason the health department is recommending adolescents and adults in Colusa County, especially women of childbearing years, speak to their doctors about the DTaP vaccine, available since 2005, to boost immunity to diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

“It’s a new combination of old vaccines,” Cummings said.

Diphtheria, also a respiratory disease caused by a bacteria, affected about 150,000 people annually – and killed 13,000 – until widespread vaccinations were introduced in the 1940s.

Today, the disease has all but been eradicated in the U.S., Cummings said.

Tetanus, a rare, but usually fatal disease caused by a bacteria, kills about 100 unvaccinated adults each year, according to health department records.

Cummings said the California Department of Public Health will provide Colusa County with enough vaccinations to begin scheduling shot clinics.

Meanwhile, the state has provided free vaccination to Colusa Regional Medical Center to vaccinate its new mothers.

Others who may have contact with infants, including family members, health care workers and childcare workers, should also be vaccinated.

For Information:   Individual should contact their regular health care provider or Colusa County Public Heath, 251 E. Webster St., Colusa or 458-0520 to inquire about pertussis vaccination.