KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Public Health - Seattle & King County is reporting a marked increase in pertussis, also known as whooping cough, among children, including highly susceptible infants. So far this year the department has investigated more than three times as many cases among children under 18 years of age than last year. Especially worrisome are 17 King County infants reported with pertussis in 2003; of these cases, ten required hospitalization for up to 15 days.
"Pertussis is especially dangerous for young infants. Since the rate of pertussis is increasing in children, we all need to be aware of pertussis and how to prevent the infection in babies," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Chief of Public Health's Communicable Disease Control, Epidemiology and Immunization Section.
Recent trends
The 81 cases to-date in children under 18 years of age reported this year are just under the total of 86 cases in this age group reported in all of 2002. Also alarming is an increase from four cases at this time last year to 17 this year among infants six months of age and younger, which exceeds the 12 total cases reported in this age group in all of 2002.
How pertussis is transmitted
Pertussis is transmitted to babies by contact with other infected persons. Persons with cough illnesses should take extra care to avoid contact with infants and seek medical evaluation for pertussis if cough persists for two weeks or longer.
While older infants and toddlers may have cough episodes that are typical of pertussis, very young infants may have less specific symptoms. This may delay the recognition of pertussis as the cause of the baby's illness. To help identify pertussis promptly, Public Health recommends that the health care provider be informed when a sick child or infant has been in contact with persons with a cough illness.
Importance of vaccination
"The pertussis vaccine protects children from severe illness. The increase in pertussis in King County emphasizes the importance of being up-to-date on childhood immunizations," said Dr. Duchin.
The vaccine for pertussis is given as a combination diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP). In King County, four out of five children 19-35 months of age have all four doses of the DTaP vaccine series. Children under the age of seven can be immunized with the DTaP; the vaccine is not available for older ages.
Recommendations for health care providers
Health care practitioners should consider pertussis when evaluating persons with cough illness. In addition, physicians should think about infant pertussis when evaluating babies that present with breathing and/or feeding difficulties which can be signs of pertussis in this age group, and ask about exposures to family members or other contacts with a cough.
Public Health - Seattle & King County is participating in a national study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better understand the transmission patterns and sources of infant pertussis.
Additional information
For more information on pertussis, call Public Health - Seattle & King County Communicable Disease Control, Epidemiology and Immunization Section at (206) 296-4774.
More information about pertussis can be found on the Internet at:
