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.
Liz Margolis, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public Schools, says pertussis is "rampant in the community right now," and cases have sprung up in "several buildings across the district."
Margolis couldn't say how many cases had occurred in the district, but estimated it wasn't more than 10.
Susan Cerniglia, public information officer for the health department, said 127 cases have occurred in Washtenaw County so far this year, as of last week's official count — which she called an "epidemic" rate.
"We're having what we consider an outbreak — an epidemic — right now," she said.
In 2009, the county had a record number of 81 cases of pertussis.
Vaccine protection from the disease decreases over time, so adults and adolescents may be susceptible. A vaccine is available to individuals ages 10 to 64. And anyone who spends time around an infant is especially encouraged to get the vaccine.
Cerniglia said it is difficult to diagnose and not everyone who has the illness will have a cough with a "whooping" sound.
The health department recommends individuals seek medical attention if they experience coughing that comes in bursts or vomiting after bouts of coughing.
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.
Individuals with questions relating to pertussis are urged to call their health care provider or the county health department at (734) 544-6700.
Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.
Comments
Rork Kuick
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 8:45 a.m.
A2Susie's question is good (about no DTaP for folks over 64). I've read that the reason is that there is insufficient evidence that DTaP vaccines for people over 64 help, but have never seen what data were used to determine that. The cause of "no benefit" might partly be that some of them are already immune. Anecdotes blaming grandma are not rare though. I was dismayed by jns131's apparent conclusion that vaccines don't work. It used to be that over 150 per 100,000 people got pertussis each year. After vaccines, that declined every year for over 20 years until it got below 1 per 100,000 in the late 1970's. It's not 100% effective, especially in the youngest kids, but that doesn't imply it's worthless. The current peaking of pertussis is not a simple matter though, with many competing explanations, and more than one may be at work. Try searching "Science-Based Medicine" for "pertussis" where there are several articles, including one with the figures I just gave. Despite some uncertainty about the contribution of various causes to the recent upswing, I got updated DTaP. I wanted that renewed tetanus protection too, since my hobbies put me at greater risk.
Technojunkie
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 8:38 a.m.
On not vaccinating: Dr. Wakefield, who's at the center of the controversy, recommends a much more conservative vaccination schedule to reduce the risks to developing immune systems. This has been (deliberately?) misreported as "don't vaccinate!" by his critics and many parents, believing the lie but not trusting the the bureaucrats who made it, have ironically chosen not to vaccinate their kids at all. Wakefield's children have all been vaccinated. This is one of the better interviews: www.thedailybell.com/1089/Dr-Andrew-Wakefield-on-the-AutismVaccine-Controversy-and-His-Ongoing-Professional-Persecution.html I've noticed the same pattern with Synder and outsourcing. Some Snyder supporters hear the Democrat propaganda and go on to defend the outsourcing that never happened. If any psych students are looking for a thesis topic, run with it.
jns131
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 8:11 a.m.
If you want to avoid antibiotics, there is Disney World for a week. According to an article I read the best way to treat whooping cough is to visit a warm climate for a week. Or wait for spring. Your choice. Usually once you get it? You are stuck with it until spring. That is what I was told. So, for me? I don't even bother my doc. We just wait for spring.
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
There is nothing to say that anyone over 65 can't have the vaccine. I am 75 and have had my shot. Whooping cough has been covered in the dpt inoculations for decades, but as one writer said, you need to have boosters over time. Our kids were required to have them before interring college. Almost every doctor's office can give you a schedule of shots and booster requirements. Getting them is your responsibility and getting them for your children is your duty as a parent.
Susan Scott Morales, MSW
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 7:25 a.m.
Can anyone post the treatment for whooping cough?
jns131
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 7:56 p.m.
I hate to say it, but mine was vaccinated and did get whooping cough at age 2. Mine got the chicken pox vaccine? Got chicken pox a month later. So guess what? There is no preventative to any disease. You get it and you live with it. Just like Swine Flu. They wanted to shut the schools down to break the cycle. But I hate to say it, once you get it? No vaccine and no antibiotic is going to cure it because they can become resistant to the antibiotics. So, just wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
AlphaAlpha
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 7:16 p.m.
Those (rightly) concerned about mercury in vaccines can easily choose mercury free vaccines marketed for children.
AMOC
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.
@Nicole - Pertussis is contagious primarily in the early stages, before the acute cough which marks the disease starts. At that stage it is almost impossible to distinguish whooping cough from a cold or from coughs due to allergies / asthma. Also, all the kids who are in the same class, on the same bus, eat in the same cafeteria have already been exposed. Once a kid has been 1) diagnosed and 2) treated with antibiotics they are no longer contagious and should stay / return to school as soon as they feel up to it. The "contagious before diagnosable" aspect of this disease and so many others (like measles and chicken pox) that make it so extremely important for children in day care and schools to be vaccinated.
glacialerratic
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 6:25 p.m.
If this were Moscow-on-the-Hudson, everyone would be vaccinated.
a2phiggy
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 6:16 p.m.
May I suggest that the title be changed to reflect a district-wide risk? A number of schools have experienced this, and to infer that it is only Tappan in the headline could be misleading.
AlwaysLate
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 5:52 p.m.
All it takes is one nut-case set of parents who refuse to vaccinate their child and you have the beginning of an epidemic of any number of diseases. Hey, wait a minute! This is Moscow-On-The-Huron! There are dozens of nut-case parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids. This should be no surprise!
Foote
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 5:48 p.m.
Relating to comments regarding un-vaccinated children, I know a local child that has pertussis and their vaccinations are up to date. According to the information handed out by the Washtenaw County Dept. of Health, "No vaccine is 100% effective, and it is possible for fully immunized children to experience a modified form of pertussis." Whether or not these patients can still transmit the disease is not explained in the flyer, but I assume so. So this is not merely a result of vaccination refusal, and if you have kids and one of them is sick with coughing fits, don't rule out pertussis just because they are vaccinated. Limiting exposure between those that are sick and those that are at greatest risk is important. A2susie, regarding the new vaccine that is called tdap, it is not yet licensed for use for 65 and over but there are other alternatives, just not this vaccine. I have read where it is currently being tested and it may become available to older people over time. Regarding staying home from school, children have been sent home and given antibiotics. Once that course of antibiotics has been taken they are allowed back to school. That is a 5 day window.
nicole
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 4:04 p.m.
Hopefully they sent this kid home until she gets better and is no longer contagious. Or were they PC'ed out of it because it would make her feel bad or singled out? They can't send them home for lice anymore, so I just wondered if this is another one!
obviouscomment
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 3:56 p.m.
in previous articles they've said that people have not been getting the vaccine for themselves or their children...i checked at the doctor about the vaccine and it's actually in the same vaccine for tetanus so i assume that if people are not up to date on their tetanus shots, they are not up to date with the pertussis vaccine...this article also mentioned that the vaccine wears off over time so you have to get it again...with health care costs and loss of jobs resulting in loss of insurance, people probably aren't staying up to date with those things because they can't afford it
MyOpinion
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 3:56 p.m.
Pertussis can occur because parents chose not to have their child vaccinated (worries about the ties to vaccinations and autism). These non-vaccinated children are mostly protected because everyone else is vaccinated. But, when there is an epidemic these kids will be vulnerable. And, I expect populations with vulnerable immune systems might be at risk, even if vaccinated.
A2Susie
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 3:56 p.m.
I'm curious as to why the vaccine is not recommended for those of us over 64. Do we already have enough immunity? Or is the vaccine in some way more dangerous for us than for younger people? A friend and I both had a two month bout of explosive violent coughing after a trip to Europe last spring, and the symptoms described in this article sound very familiar. I'd appreciate more info about the age issue here.
Kim Kachadoorian
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.
Did we get a bad batch of vaccines? This really shouldn't be an issue - yet I know quite a few that have had it or know someone that has had it this year.
Epengar
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 3:05 p.m.
Here is the County Public Health Department's page on Whooping Cough, with more information: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/public_health/news/2010-news-stories/pertussis-whooping-cough-cases-at-all-time-high
Foote
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 2:51 p.m.
Yes of course, this is interesting and important news, and there is a broader perspective than just this one student. Over a half dozen babies under the age of one have died in CA so far this year and at least one infant has died of whooping cough in SE Michigan this year. There have been 3 cases reported at another Ann Arbor middle school as of this week and I am certain that there are many others that have not been confirmed as of yet. It is possible to get pertussis after being vaccinated. I am posting further information from the Washtenaw Dept. of Public Health... "Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that can be severe, particularly in young children. Pertussis can spread easily among susceptible household members and in group settings such as schools,childcare centers, workplaces, and sports teams. Adolescents and adults are at risk for infection with the disease since vaccine protection decreases over time. Washtenaw County has experienced a large increase in reported pertussis cases during the past two years. Main goals of disease prevention: To protect vulnerable infants and children who are too young to be immunized or who have not been given vaccine To break the chain of disease transmission in the community Recommended actions: 1. For people of all ages, call your health care provider if you have the following symptoms: Cough that comes in bursts (intermittent) Vomiting after coughing spells 2. Review the immunization status of all students and staff: Children under 18 months of age should have received 4 doses of pertussis vaccine (DTaP, DTP). Children in Michigan should receive a 5th dose of vaccine after the age of 4 years, prior to entering kindergarten. A new pertussis containing vaccine (Tdap) is available for persons 10 64 years of age No vaccine is 100% effective, and it is possible for fully immunized children to experience a modified form of pertussis. If you have questions or concerns, please call your health care provider or contact the Health Department at (734) 544-6700."
SuperFreckleFace
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
Curious why this particular instance of pertussis was reported on AnnArbor.com.