Whooping cough cases still at record numbers in Washtenaw County

The Saline area alone has had 10 cases of whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, this year, Bauman said. The Saline school district e-mailed parents and guardians earlier this week, urging them to have children with a lingering or severe cough evaluated by a doctor. 

Superintendent Scot Graden said a student at Heritage Elementary School was recently ill with pertussis.

Bauman said health officials aren't sure what has caused the record-high number of cases. Officials have more accurate testing measures, so it could be that many people who went undiagnosed before are being tested and having their illness confirmed.

"We also have some areas of the county that are under-immunized," she said.

Some of the worst cases have been in adults, she said. Adolescents and adults immunized as children need a pertussis booster, and many people aren't aware of that, she said. The booster recommendation is a change from previous practices, when the last dose of pertussis vaccine was given to children before they entered kindergarten. Adolescents and adults getting a tetanus booster should ask their doctor about getting a combined tetanus-pertussis booster, she said.

Proper vaccination is particularly important for new parents or others who will be caring for newborns or young infants. "We're trying to reach new moms and new parents becase the babies are very vulnerable, and they don't get good coverage until they've had three doses of the vaccine," Bauman said. "We've had a number of cases of parents or grandparents bringing the illness home," she said.

Whooping cough is highly contagious and is spread through the airborne droplets from coughing. It starts with cold-like symptoms and then fairly rapidly progresses to a severe cough. Some people cough so hard they vomit, Bauman said. Fever can also accompany the illness. Anyone who has had a severe persistent cough for more than a week should be evaluated for pertussis, she said.

Antibiotics will kill the bacteria that causes pertussis, but a toxin released by the bacteria can irritate the lungs for weeks, causing a lingering cough even after treatment. Treatment is important though to kill the bacteria and prevent the spread of the illness to others. Without treatment, pertussis can be contagious for a month.