FAIRBANKS — Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is on the rise nationwide and Alaska is no exception.
According to the epidemiology page in the Health and Social Services section of the state website, 55 cases of the disease have been documented so far this year, more than double the 24 cases reported in 2011. While that number might seem high, public health officials say there’s no cause for panic.
“The numbers are so small that the section of epidemiology is not ready to say ‘be alarmed,’ but I know that we’d like to communicate to wash hands, stay home if you’re sick and get the T-dap vaccination,” said Nancy Davidian, public health nurse at the Fairbanks Regional Public Health Center.
T-dap refers to the Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis vaccine, which health officials recommend for all children. Adolescents and adults should receive boosters.
The Alaska numbers don’t necessarily reflect the actual number of infections statewide, said Louisa Castrodale, one of the epidemiologists at the state.
“We only have numbers for people who have gone in, been swabbed and tested positive, and it’s definitely the tip of the iceberg because not everybody who is sick will go in and get tested,” Castrodale said.
Pertussis is caused by a bacteria that affects the lungs. It is especially dangerous to babies and small children and can be fatal. Of infants younger than 1 who get pertussis, 57 percent must be hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Pertussis occurs in three stages, the first of which is the catarrhal stage. An infected person in this early stage exhibits symptoms such as a runny nose, a mild cough and a low-grade fever and is highly contagious. These symptoms often are mistaken for the common cold, and diagnosis usually does not occur until more serious symptoms set in about two weeks into the infection.
The second, “paroxysmal” stage, usually lasts from the second to the eighth week of infection and is characterized by severe coughing fits that empty the lungs of air, causing a characteristic whooping sound as the afflicted person sucks air back into his or her lungs. The paroxysms can cause broken ribs, loss of consciousness, vomiting and severe exhaustion. In babies and small children, these coughing fits can cause bleeding behind the eyes and in the brain. This stage can last up to 10 weeks, and in China pertussis is called “the 100-day cough.”
The convalescent stage usually occurs from the eighth to the 12th week of infection and recovery is gradual. The cough slowly lessens but fits still can occur. At this stage, the infected person is susceptible to other respiratory infections.
According to the CDC website, more than 17,000 cases of pertussis were reported nationwide through July 12 this year, and nine pertussis-related deaths were reported during that same time period. The majority of deaths occur among infants younger than 3 months, and the incident rate in that age group exceeds that of all other age groups. Rates also are increased in adolescents 13 and 14 years old.
As of July 5, 37 states have reported increases in whooping cough cases compared with the same time period in 2011, according to the CDC.
Contact Fairbanks Daily News-Miner staff writer Dorothy Chomicz at 907-459-7590.
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Kristina Townsend said on Sunday, Aug 5 at 11:28 AM
The outbreak in from the vaccination. 81% of the kids getting are fully vaccinated. so stop with the scare tactics
98496256Patrick Thomas said on Sunday, Aug 5 at 12:32 PM
Really? Our best defense against getting sick is to have formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury, aborted fetal tissue, phenol, polysorbate 80, foreign animal proteins/DNA direct-injected into our muscle tissue? I smell a rat. What about how people should be consuming all 90-some-odd vitamins, minerals and amino acids in order to attain/retain their health? What about the consumption of live enzymes? What about getting plenty of sleep? What about reducing stress? What about getting exercise? What about breast feeding? What about the avoidance toxins and/or detoxing the body? What about the avoidance of Cokes and Count Chocula? Why is it always about vaccines, vaccines and more vaccines? Health does NOT come from the end of a needle.
98499496Patrick Thomas said on Sunday, Aug 5 at 12:34 PM
The whooping cough vaccine is actually spreading the disease. The innocent unvaccinated need to be left alone in this medical-assault against mankind. It's libelous and slanderous to continue this witch-hunt against the unvaccinated. (Mainstream study documents vaccine causing mutation, spreading of whooping cough): Acellular pertussis vaccination enhances B. parapertussis colonization "....vaccination led to a 40-fold enhancement of B. parapertussis colonization in the lungs of mice.....these data suggest that the vaccine may be contributing to the observed rise in whooping cough incidence over the last decade by promoting B. parapertussis infection."
98499576BobD said on Sunday, Aug 5 at 6:06 PM
All I know is , this is a terrible disease. Remember it from the 1950's and seeing babies die a horrible death..
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