Carson City health officials urge vaccinations following California whooping cough outbreak
Submitted by editor on Mon, 06/14/2010 - 11:23am
Carson City health officials are urging vaccinations after several reported cases of whopping cough in neighboring California.
The California whooping cough outbreak includes five infant deaths, according to a news release by the Carson City Health and Human Services agency. There have been 584 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, between Jan. 1 and May 31, which is three times the 190 confirmed cases reported last year in the same time frame, according to the health office.
Regions with the most cases include the Bay Area, Los Angeles County, Orange County and Fresno County.
The infants who died were all newborns who caught the disease from adults, according to the release. Infants under 6 months of age are not fully protected against pertussis and are vulnerable to this disease, according to the news release. For this reason, Carson City public health officials urge anyone who is or will be around newborn infants, especially parents, grandparents and siblings, to get vaccinated with Tdap, the booster shot that helps prevent the spread of pertussis. The method of immunizing one group of people to protect another is known as “cocooning.”
Carson City Health and Human Services on East Long Street routinely administers Tdap. Thursday is Immunization Day at Carson City Health and Human Services, 900 East Long Street. Hours are 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., and 1 p.m.to 4:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary. For more information call (775) 887- 2190.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that can be difficult to diagnose. Occasionally symptoms are deceivingly mild. It usually begins with a cough which worsens over one to two weeks.
Symptoms usually involve a long series of coughs followed by a whooping sound. There is generally no fever. The coughing can be so relentless as to cause a person to vomit, turn blue or have difficulty catching breath. It is often worse at night. Left untreated, it can last three or four months.
Parents of infants and toddlers are likewise reminded to check their children’s vaccination records. Thewhooping cough immunization (DTaP) schedule, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria, is 2, 4, 6 and 12 to 15 months. A vaccination is also given after age 4, prior to the child starting school. Because the DTaP vaccine loses its ability to protect after 5 to 10 years, children are required to get a booster (Tdap) prior to 7th grade entry.
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