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Washtenaw County Health Departments issues whooping cough prevention tips after possible student exposure

Editor's note: A clarification has been added to this story to clarify who is advised to seek antibiotics.

The Washtenaw County Health Department emailed parents of Ann Arbor Public Schools students Friday who may have been exposed to whooping cough with recommended actions to prevent the disease from spreading.

Reports on Friday indicated at least five Pioneer High School students have the disease. Updated information was not available Saturday.

Whooping cough: Health officials urge vaccinations as cases present in Washtenaw County

State and local health officials are urging people young and old to be vaccinated against whooping cough as the disease continues to be present in Michigan and Washtenaw County.

Washtenaw County had highest number of reported whooping cough cases statewide in 2010

Washtenaw County had more reported cases of pertussis than any county in the state in 2010, health officials said Wednesday.

Health care providers reported 233 cases of pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, in 2010 to the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, officials there said this week.

"It is certainly unprecedented in the past 20 years," said Laura Bauman, epidemiologist for the Health Department. The Health Department began tracking pertussis in 1992, she said; through the 1990s, the county had recorded one to three cases each year.

Across the state, health officials reported 1,564 cases of the bacterial infection, the most since 1962, said Joel Blostein, the vaccine preventable disease epidemiologist for the Michigan Department of Community Health.

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.

Updated: Ann Arbor Tappan student diagnosed with whooping cough; pertussis at epidemic levels county-wide

An Ann Arbor Tappan Middle School student was recently diagnosed with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, according to a letter sent from the Washtenaw County Public Health Department to the school. And officials say it's one more case in a county-wide "epidemic."

According to the release, pertussis is "highly contagious" and can be severe, particularly in young children. The county has experienced a large increase in cases in the last two years.

With video and poll: Washtenaw public health officials sound warning for whooping cough epidemic

Whooping cough has become a Washtenaw County epidemic.

And with the start of the school year, public health officials are sounding the warning that the highly contagious bacterial disease could gain even more momentum.

Daily Dose of Health News: More teenagers suffer from hearing loss, study finds

Here's a look at some of the top health news being talked about around the U.S. and the world today:

• Nearly 20 percent of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss at some level, according to a recent study. But personal music players aren't necessarily the reason. The San Francisco Chronicle reports researchers say music may be to blame, but also believe there could be an increase in genetic disorders that could be contributing.

Washtenaw County Health Department: Watch out for whooping cough

It might start with what seems like a common cold.

But whooping cough can soon develop into a illness with fits of uncontrollable coughing that persist for weeks.

Whooping cough cases still at record numbers in Washtenaw County

Cluster of cases reported in Saline

Washtenaw County residents continue to contract whooping cough in record numbers, said Laura Bauman, an epidemiologist with the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health.

So far this year, the county has had 37 confirmed cases, far surpassing the 20 cases reported in a typical year. Last year, the county had 81 cases of of whooping cough, the highest number reported since the county started keeping electronic records in 1992.

University of Michigan study

Whooping cough immunity can last an average of three decades

Immunity to whooping cough - either in people who have been vaccinated or infected by the disease - lasts an average of 30 years, a University of Michigan study found.

Reported in U.S. News & World Report, the study by U-M and University of New Mexico researchers found immunity doesn't wear off as quickly as previously thought.

Whooping cough cases up in Washtenaw County, state this year, officials warn

Three suspected whooping cough cases were reported in Saline today and public health officials warn there have been a higher-than-normal number of cases spreading locally.

So far this year, there have been 30 suspected cases reported in Washtenaw County. That's up from 20 cases for all of 2008, said Laura Bauman, epidemiologist at the county public health department.