INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Public health officials in Independence are urging people to get vaccinated as the number of whooping cough cases in the city has jumped dramatically in the past two weeks.
According to the Independence Public Health Department, officals have received reports of 15 suspected, probable and confirmed cases pertussis (whooping cough) in just the past two weeks – bringing the year-to-date total to 24. Officials say that number is seven-times higher than the number of cases reported at this time last year.
Pertussis, a respiratory illness commonly known as whooping cough, is a very contagious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis usually starts with cold or flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, fever and a mild cough. These symptoms can last up to two weeks and are followed by increasingly severe coughing spells.
The coughing attacks may last for many months in the “classic illness” or just a few days in the mild form of the disease.
Public health officials say that the best way to prevent pertussis among infants, children, teens, and adults is to get vaccinated. The recommended pertussis vaccine for infants and children is called DTaP, which protects most children for at least 5 years. Because vaccine protection fades with time, preteens, teens and adults are urged to get a booster that contains protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap).
Officials say that adults and teens who haven`t received the Tdap vaccine should get it, as getting vaccinated with Tdap at least two weeks before coming into close contact with an infant is especially important for families with, and caregivers of, new infants – including grandparents.
People with pertussis usually spread the disease by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others, who then breathe in the pertussis bacteria. Many infants who get pertussis are infected by older siblings, parents or caregivers who might not even know they have the disease.