Two infants, three adults hospitalized with whooping cough in Washtenaw County; total cases near 200
Whooping cough has become an epidemic in Washtenaw County, with the number cases on record this year approaching 200 — 10 times higher than what’s considered normal for the area.
The bacterial disease of the upper respiratory tract is known as whooping cough due to the "whoop" sound those with the infection make between coughing spasms as they try to breathe. It can be fatal to infants.
Whooping cough peaked in September with 50 cases, said Laura Bauman, an epidemiologist for the Washtenaw County Public Health Department.
Five individuals — including two infants and three adults — have been hospitalized after contracting the bacterial disease in Washtenaw County in 2010.
The disease has been steadily making its way through schools. A person who coughs can spread the bacteria behind whooping cough up to 3 feet.
"None of our schools have seen a massive outbreak,” said Liz Margolis, a spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public Schools. “There have been spotty incidents throughout the district.”
Margolis said school nurses frequently contact the health department with concerns about whooping cough or to report cases. The district's protocol is to make sure letters are sent to students’ homes and e-mailed out when there is a new case of whooping cough.
After-school activities and sports teams have spread whooping cough at schools, too, Bauman said. Any group that congregates — like the church choir — can spread whooping cough. The health department has worked with groups like that as well, Bauman said.
A few Ann Arbor school district staff members have been sickened, Margolis said.
Medical professionals across Washtenaw County are treating a record number of patients with whooping cough.
Associated Press photo
“They had it and they didn’t realize it,” she said. “With adults, some people don’t have the classic whooping symptoms.”
Bauman said that’s a sign a past vaccination is moderating the disease, though the immunity isn’t strong enough to prevent it completely.
A 3-month-old baby from St. Clair, Mich. died in February after being misdiagnosed as having a cold. Pertussis starts with symptoms that resemble the common cold.
Comparatively, 2009 was the last record year for whooping cough, with 81 cases reported. Prior to that, the highest number of cases on record was 36 in 2003, according to the Health Department.
Whooping cough — its scientific name is pertussis — is preventable but highly contagious.
According to the public health department, initial symptoms appear seven to 10 days after exposure and usually include:
- Low grade fever, runny nose, sneezing and occasional cough. The cough becomes more severe in one to two weeks.
- During bouts of coughing, the nails and lips might turn blue from lack of air, and vomiting can occur with severe coughing episodes.
- People may feel and appear fairly healthy much of the time in between coughing episodes.
- In children under 1 year old, complications include pneumonia, convulsions and, rarely, brain damage. Pertussis deaths typically occur in infants younger than 2 months.
- Many people cough for a month or longer.
What makes an epidemic?
“It depends on the disease, time frame, and we’d typically be looking for something that’s above normal, and something unusual about what’s going on,” Bauman said. "In the case of pertussis, our normal, before the past two years, was 20 cases per year."
One case of the measles would be considered a measles epidemic, Bauman said. If she saw a case of salmonella poisoning a week, she wouldn’t be too excited.
“But five a week would get my attention,” she said.
Bauman said a number of factors could be contributing to the epidemic, including unvaccinated children and a decreasing immunity in teens and adults who haven’t recently received a booster.
Better testing and awareness could also be contributing, Bauman said. New testing methods are detecting more whooping cough cases than previous methods.
Juliana Keeping is a health and environment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
skenney1384
Sun, Nov 28, 2010 : 8:57 p.m.
In reference to Autism being increased 1200 times since 1987, that's what happens when you continually expand the definition of a condition and the media pushes it down our throat. Same thing with AIDS. It had gotten so much attention yet was low on the mortality rate as compared to other diseases. There is always the media disease of the day. In terms of shingles, yes when you have had chicken pox the virus never leaves your body. Stresses on the nervous system and decreased immune systems, such as with the elderly, will bring it back and is very painful because it affects the nerves. Essentially, it is a severe case of hives.
jns131
Wed, Nov 24, 2010 : 9:10 a.m.
See? The nurse is right and so is Parent Magazine. Mine caught whooping cough every January for three years and there wasn't anything you could do about it. You had to catch it the first week to do anything about it. Glad to hear I am again right and not wrong. Thank you nurse. I haven't seen mine catch it since age 5. Very healthy child matter of factly.
AACity12
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 7:58 p.m.
The pertusis vaccine is not very effective and has high risks involved with it. The total vaccine takes 6 shots over the course of childhood. So what if they came out and said Yes this can cause brain damage? Can you imagine the result. They feel its better to tell everyone that these vaccines are safe and let a few have negative side affects rather then tell people they could cause mental illness and have no one get vaccinated. Then we would have a number of epidemics. So instead my children are on an alternative vaccine schedule. They did not get any shots till they were 2 and then it was limited. Children today are scheduled for over 30 shots. Back in the late 70s when I got shots there were 8. Autism has increased by 1200 times since 1987. 1200 times!!!!
robyn
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 6:26 p.m.
@ Alan: My kids' doctor and I have discussed these vaccinations at length, she has said the same thing. She also made mention of the fact that there are different strains of flu and other illness' that you can still get - a vaccine is good for a specific strain. Unfortunately - many of these types of illness mutate, become resistant to anti-biotics and vaccines.
Jack
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 1:35 p.m.
Our entire family is vaccinated since it had been 10 years for the adults in our home. I saw a PBS special about Polio and other diseases that will reappear due to folks who don't vaccinate their kids. They said WC is one of those above mentioned illnesses. What a shame!
robyn
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 12:04 p.m.
They can - but I have also read that those who have been vaccinated for Chicken Pox are also at risk of shingles as an adult. I'm not sure if there is a difference between vaccinations using dead -v- live cultures - but the CP vaccine is not a guarantee that they will NOT have shingles as an adult. Vaccines are NOT magic cures. And they will not always protect you. You can be vaccinated for one strain of flu - and that protection will not prevent you from getting a different strain. Vaccinations are just a limited exposure to a virus - a 'immune system teaching moment' - but like all 'teaching moments' - some lessons are not learned as fully as others....
cmr
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 12:02 p.m.
I wish it was made known that one may take an antibiotic for pertussis since it is caused by a bacteria. If taken early enough it can halt the progression of the disease. I and my children took the antibiotic when diagnosed early and it halted the disease. It also helps in not spreading it to others after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours--although I quarantined my family for a week.
John Q
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 11:51 a.m.
"If they had just gotten Chicken Pox - they'd be fine as an adult - but now if they contract it as an adult it can be far worse than it would have been if they'd gotten it as a child." You must have never heard of shingles. People who have had chicken pox as children can develop shingles as adults. From what I've heard, it's terribly painful and something you don't want to suffer through.
robyn
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 11:40 a.m.
@ Ace: The socially responsible thing to do is not going out and exposing other people when you ARE sick. Your vaccine may afford you a milder case of the 'cooties' - but you can STILL pass it along. Your immunization only protect you - and it does not fully protect you. You can still pass it to others.
robyn
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
I don't have my kids vaccinated for stuff like that. The last time one was on an anti-biotic was when she had an ear infection at about 3 years old. They go to the doctor every year and when they need to for their sport physicals. My kids just don't get sick - in the bad sense. An occasional low fever, but it usually lasts less than a day. Maybe some stuffiness. Thing is - they get slightly ill and over it in 24 hours but I get horribly sick. Not all the time, but at least once a year and it's for at least a week with high fevers and all of the other garbage. Thing is I never send my kids to school if they have any symptoms (fever - even if it's 99) and they stay home an additional day so I know they can't pass it along. But there are a lot of parents that do send their kids to school knowing they are sick - even if they're just slightly ill. I don't think they realize that while their child is only a little sick with whatever is going around - the child they pass it on to (or like me - the adult) can become massively ill. Or they can get it and just pass it to a sibling or relative that may be immune suppressed/compromised - which can be fatal for them. Please - if your child has symptoms of WC - even if they seem to be 'okay' enough to attend school - don't send them. Don't put others at risk. As for vaccinations - I don't have my kids vaccinated for EVERYTHING because the kids I know that ARE vaccinated for everything and are constantly on anti-biotics - are the kids that always seem to be sick and are on anti-biotics several times a year. I don't think vaccines really build their immune systems they way it does when the child/adult actually fights off the virus without the vaccine. Some vaccines need to be redone too - look at Chicken Pox - I had to have my kids vaccinated for that and they will need to be vaccinated again as adults. If they had just gotten Chicken Pox - they'd be fine as an adult - but now if they contract it as an adult it can be far worse than it would have been if they'd gotten it as a child. Don't get me wrong - they've had all of the other vaccinations (polio, Hep, etc) - but I don't run them in to get flu shots or for anti-biotics. They've had the same doctor since birth - and even the doctor has said that as long as they are healthy and have good strong immune systems - I really don't need to be that worried about it. But babies and seniors do need to get vaccines.
Ace Ventura
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 11:13 a.m.
I got the vaccine because its the social responsible thing to do.
Stephanie
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 10:44 a.m.
Whooping cough strain now immune to vaccine. THE bacteria that causes whooping cough has mutated, eroding the protection provided by the vaccine now given to children, scientists warned yesterday. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/whooping-cough-strain-now-immune-to-vaccine/story-e6freuy9-1225828959714 A KPBS investigation has found that nearly two out of three people diagnosed with whooping cough in San Diego County this year were fully immunized. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/sep/07/whooping-cough-vaccine-working/ Researchers projected that, given the patterns of social mingling seen in Europe, even if 75 percent of adults received pertussis boosters an unrealistic target, experts say it would reduce cases by only 15 percent. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40135271/ns/health-infectious_diseases/ The following information is provided to help you understand the disease pertussis (whooping cough) and the pertussis vaccine so you can make an informed decision regarding use of this vaccine. http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/Whooping-Cough.aspx
YpsiLivin
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 10:43 a.m.
Pertussis vaccination in childhood does NOT offer lifetime immunity. I suspect that the rise in whooping cough is more closely related to adults who have allowed their vaccination-based immunity to expire, rather than adults who have not vaccinated their children. Adults should consider receiving a DPT vaccine every 5-10 years throughout their lifetimes to avoid whooping cough, and to avoid spreading it to other vulnerable people.
obviouscomment
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 10:11 a.m.
my doctor said there are probably a lot more people, including children, that have it but are refusing the test for it. i had the test and it's quite uncomfortable, but not painful. they stick a long, flexible q-tip like thing up your nose and into your sinus or something. i felt it behind my eye and had a sinus headache afterwards for about an hour, along with an overwhelming urge to sneeze. she said many parents, when they hear what the test is, aren't allowing them to do it so who really knows how many people have or did have pertussis.
Susan Cerniglia
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 10:08 a.m.
@ Atticus F. - Yes, absolutely, teens and adults need a booster of the vaccine because the protection they had from the childhood vaccine is mostly gone. Vaccination is especially critical for ANYONE around infants. The Tdap vaccine is currently available for persons 10 to 64 years old, and that range may soon be expanded. Also, please note, no vaccine is 100% effective, so those who have been vaccinated may still get sick with pertussis. Their illness will likely be less serious. (In Washtenaw County, none of the hospitalizations have been among vaccinated persons.) Unfortunately, if pertussis is not diagnosed and treated early - it must run its course, often resulting in a very long or severe course of illness. As the article states, early symptoms look like a cold. Treatment with antibiotics is still important because it will stop futher spread of the illness. Although the vaccine is not perfect, it is the best that we have to prevent this very contagious disease from spreading and prevent severe illness and complications in all age groups, but especially in infants under 1 year who have the highest risk of death. - Susan Cerniglia, Washtenaw County Public Health
Blerg
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:52 a.m.
I've been told by my health care provider that the vaccine comes in a bundle with two others and lasts 10 years. It only takes a quick phone call to your primary care physician to see if you're up to date, too. Doctors are also stressing the importance of vaccinating new parents, grandparents, and care givers to babies six months and younger, as that is the earliest a baby may get the vaccine.
Juliana Keeping
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:48 a.m.
Hi all. Thanks for writing in. I've contacted Health Department folks, who will address your questions. Keep checking back.
jns131
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:38 a.m.
Once we start the holiday vacations this will break the cycle and end in January. According to an article I read is there isn't much you can do with whooping cough if you get it other then going to a warmer climate to get rid of it. Colder climates tend to see more ailments then those who live in warmer climates. Although stats have shown those who live in colder climates live longer then those who live in warmer climates. All you can do is cover your mouth and wash the hands. This too will end just like swine flu did.
Atticus F.
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:36 a.m.
Should adult be getting vaccinated for whooping cough?
Miha
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:19 a.m.
Both my children, who go to a private school here in AA, got it. My 12 yo, who received a booster shot last year, had it worse than my 10 yo. He is still recovering. As a healthcare professional, I am not sure if vaccinating or not vaccinating even makes a difference. The other children at school were also vaccinated. Other than experiencing a "milder" case, the duration of the disease, once you have it, seems to be the same whether or not one is vaccinated (6-8 weeks). Please remember, vaccines will not prevent one from getting it!
glacialerratic
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 9:18 a.m.
The headline is misleading, implying that 5 people currently are hospitalized. The story seems to indicate that, in fact, 5 people have been hospitalized in Washtenaw County so far during 2010. Could you please clarify this?
Mark
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 8:56 a.m.
The child I know who had pertussis was vaccinated and did not have a "milder" case. Not his fault. Not his parents fault. He was terribly ill.
cmr
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 8:35 a.m.
A public health nurse told me a year ago as the "epidemic" was on the rise, that with vaccination you are about 70% protected. She also said that almost all children who got pertussis(vaccinated and unvaccinated) got it from an adult who did not realize that they had it because in adults it manifests itself as a bad cold. Pertussis vaccine also wears off, but they are unsure of how long it does last.Also, kids who are vaccinated may get a "mild" case of pertussis if they catch it which unfortunately causes them to spread it further because they and their parents think it's just a bad cold and allow them in school and sports etc. So, unfortunately, most of the pertussis cases are spread by people who have been vaccinated and have either "mild" cases or their vaccination wore off.
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 8:33 a.m.
When I was growing up in the '40's and '50's, most childhood diseases did not have vaccines. I had all the commons ones, measles, mumps, chickenpox, and the scariest of all - whooping cough. My mother caught it from me and was very sick. I would not wish that disease on anyone and parents who do not have their children vaccinated, or get their own booster shots, are a public menace.
Brad
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 8:18 a.m.
Some info on the duration of protection from vaccines and boosters would have been helpful. More helpful than how many salmonella cases per week rates "epidemic" status.
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 8:09 a.m.
Good question, @Huron74. I've been wondering that, too. But...I work in the dental field and I had a patient get this, about a year or so ago. And, she was vaccinated. So, maybe it doesn't matter? She was in her 50's though. Maybe the vaccines don't last a lifetime and need to be boostered at some point.
DagnyJ
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
Thanks to the anti-vaccine movement, whooping cough is killing children. It's like a return to the Dark Ages. Folks who believe in medical myths and legends are choosing something "natural" and it turns out that death is sometimes a result of that. This from Mother Jones: "Vaccine-phobia has gripped towns like Boulder, which in 2002 had the lowest school-wide vaccination rate in Coloradoand "one of the highest per capita rates of whooping cough in the United States. Please get your children vaccinated.
Huron74
Tue, Nov 23, 2010 : 7:51 a.m.
I wonder if the anti-vaccine crowd is somewhat responsible here. Despite no credible evidence they've blamed vaccines for everything from autism to AIDS on vaccines. But you forgo them and these diseases come right back.