Whooping Cough Strikes Southern Oregon

June 30, 2010 -- Cases of whooping cough have increased sharply in southern Oregon, causing concern among public health officials.

 

Since the beginning of the year, 27 cases have been confirmed in Jackson County compared to 18 cases during the same time period last year.  

 

On June 23, California public health officials declared the disease an epidemic, reporting 910 cases as of June 15. That’s more than a fourfold increase from the previous year, when 219 cases were reported.

 

However, Dr. Richard Leman, a medical epidemiologist with Oregon’s Public Health Division, isn’t worried about the epidemic spreading here. “I don’t know that just because they’re having it in California necessarily means we’re going to have the same experience,” he said. “I wouldn’t guess as to whether we might see more cases in the future.”

 

Large outbreaks of whooping cough occur every four to five years. The last major outbreak in Jackson County was in 2003 when more than 100 cases were reported, said Carol Irwin, a Jackson County public health nurse.

 

Jackson County officials are encouraging people—especially mothers of infants and people with infants in their household—to get vaccinated against whooping cough, which is highly contagious disease and can be fatal among infants.

 

Whooping cough is an upper respiratory infection caused by bacteria. Early symptoms are much like cold symptoms—a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, fever, and mild coughing. The coughing becomes more violent and severe over the course of two weeks, and people have coughing spasms, gasp for breath or even vomit. The infection typically lasts an average of six weeks.

 

Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics; children are vaccinated against the disease with booster shots.