Washtenaw County Health Department: Watch out for whooping cough

And the spread of the highly contagious bacterial infection is showing no signs of slowing in Washtenaw County - particularly in Saline, despite schools being out for summer break.

"There is just a ton of pertussis this year," said county Epidemiologist Laura Bauman. "So far, we have had over 60 cases for 2010. Some weeks, we've heard of almost one a day."

Whooping cough remains at high levels in Washtenaw County.

And it's not just affecting young children. It's also hitting teens and adults hard, Bauman said. 

Whooping cough is particularly dangerous to infants, but some of the most severe cases this year have been reported among people in their 40s, Bauman said.

According to the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health, symptoms often include low grade fever, runny nose and a cough that becomes more severe after one or two weeks and lasts more than a month.

"During coughing attacks, the lips and nails may turn blue for lack of air. Vomiting can occur with severe episodes. In between coughing episodes, people may feel and appear fairly healthy. Some report that coughing is worse at night," according to the department. 

But adults can even break ribs or pass out from the coughing in some cases, and infants younger than 1 year old can experience complications such as pneumonia, convulsions - and rarely, brain damage.

• Hear what it sounds like when someone has whooping cough.

Whooping cough has been a growing national concern in recent years because of the rising number of cases, particularly among teens. In 2008, more than 13,000 cases were reported with 18 deaths across the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In California, a whooping cough epidemic was declared, and the state recorded about 1,500 cases through July 13, which is "a fivefold increase" over the same period last year, CBS New reported. Six infants have died.

Experts aren't sure exactly why such a climb in whooping cough cases has occurred in recent years.

It may be due in part to vaccination gaps, as many parents choose not to vaccinate their children or don't get their Tdap vaccine boosters, Bauman said.

Public health officials have been trying to get the word out about the importance of vaccination, especially in households with infants. And this year is the first year Michigan schools will require all incoming sixth grade students get the Tdap vaccine, the immunization for whooping cough.

Cases may also be up due to the the quality of the vaccine.

"Something I had not fully appreciated before is that the pertussis vaccine is a good vaccine, but it's not a great vaccine," Bauman said. 

Up to 20 percent of people who get the vaccine could still get the illness, but that shouldn't discourage people from trying to get what protection they can from the vaccine.

• Take a quiz on whooping cough facts to see how much you know. 

Improved testing methods are likely detecting more cases than might have been detected before. That improvement in testing should push those who suspect they have whooping cough to head into the doctor's office sooner so it can be recognized and treated.

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection, so it can be treated with antibiotics to moderate symptoms and reduce the contagious nature of the illness, she said.

Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.