The Virginia Department of Health says pertussis, or better known as whooping cough, is making a comeback.
The Department of Health says cases in Virginia have doubled since 2007, and in the western part of the state reported cases have tripled between 2009 and 2011.
The Virginia Department of Health says pertussis is highly contagious in children less than a year old.
Children aren't fully immune until they receive at least three doses of pertusis vaccine.
“The single most effective way to prevent pertussis is vaccination,” Gordon Green, director of the West Piedmont Health District, said in a news release. “Protection provided by the childhood vaccine wears off over time, generally in five to 10 years, so teens and adults should get a whooping cough booster.”
Complications from pertussis can be deadly.
More than 90 percent of pertussis-related deaths in Virginia from 2000 to 2009 were infants younger than 6-months old.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a childhood vaccine, as well as a vaccine for anyone 65 or older who has close contact with infants.
For more information on pertussis, click here and here.
Also, here is the news release from the Virginia Department of Health:
A child’s characteristic hacking cough followed by a high-pitched “whooping” gasp of air, rare in recent decades, is becoming familiar to parents once again. pertussis, or whooping cough, is once again on the rise, around the world and here in Virginia.
Across the Commonwealth, reported cases have doubled since 2007. In the western region of the state, reports of cases have more than tripled between 2009 and 2011
Pertussis is highly contagious and most severe in children less than 1 year of age. Since children aren’t fully immune until they receive at least three doses of pertussis vaccine, infants 6 months and younger are at the greatest risk. Complications of pertussis may be life-threatening, and include ear infections, pneumonia, breathing problems, dehydration, seizures, brain damage and death. More than 90 percent of pertussis-related deaths in Virginia from 2000 to 2009 were among infants younger than 6 months old.
“The single most effective way to prevent pertussis is vaccination,” said Gordon Green, MD, director of the West Piedmont Health District. “Protection provided by the childhood vaccine wears off over time, generally in five to 10 years, so teens and adults should get a whooping cough booster.”
Infants who are too young to be vaccinated are uniquely susceptible and must depend on the people around them to provide protection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention especially recommend pertussis vaccine for anyone 65 or older who has close contact with infants, plus pregnant women, new mothers who are breastfeeding and health care or childcare professionals who have direct contact with infants and young children. Health officials call this “cocooning” - protecting infants by immunizing family members and close contacts.
The Virginia Department of Health offers pertussis vaccine at no cost to eligible individuals, including adults who have close contact with infants or young children and those who are uninsured or underinsured. For more information, call any local health department office:
· Henry/Martinsville Health Department, Martinsville, 276 -638-2311;
· Franklin County Health Department, Rocky Mount, 540-484-0292; or
· Patrick County Health Department, Stuart, 276 -693-2070.
Pertussis vaccine also may be available through your primary care physician or local pharmacy.
