Whooping cough outbreak being tracked in Suffolk: health commissioner urges vigilance

Suffolk County health officials are tracking an outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis), Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott announced yesterday.

The vast majority of the 108 currently reported cases are school-aged children (and their parents) who attend school districts throughout the region, Pigott said in a press release.  Most of the individuals who have contracted the infection are vaccinated, therefore their symptoms are milder than would be expected in unvaccinated persons, he said. The county is not aware of any hospitalizations due to this pertussis outbreak.

Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early, Pigott said. 

“Whooping cough can be very serious for infants too young to be vaccinated, which is why we are alerting both medical providers and the public that this illness is circulating,” Pigott said.

Download: Five Things to Know about Whooping Cough

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, is a respiratory tract infection caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Pertussis is highly contagious, spreading through the air when infected people cough or sneeze. The most common symptoms are cough, nasal congestion and fever. Cough can worsen and last several weeks. 

Infants, especially unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, are the most likely to have severe disease or have complications such as pauses in breathing, pneumonia, convulsions, disease affecting the brain, or death, according to the CDC.

Most people recover slowly with antibiotics.

Vaccination is the best method to prevent or lessen the severity of whooping cough, the health department said in the press release. Health officials recommend routine vaccination against pertussis is for all children and adults. 

TDaP vaccination is also recommended for pregnant women during every pregnancy to protect their babies from whooping cough in the first few months of life. 

Anyone who has symptoms consistent with pertussis should stay home and contact a healthcare provider for evaluation and testing, Pigott said. Early treatment with antibiotics is important for reducing the severity of symptoms, especially in infants. 

People diagnosed with pertussis should stay home from work or school until they have completed five days of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading pertussis to others, Pigott said. 

Certain persons should receive preventive antibiotics if they have been in contact with someone who is ill with pertussis, to help prevent them from getting sick, according to the health commissioner. Such persons include those at risk for severe illness, including people with weakened immune systems, infants, and women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Persons who live with someone diagnosed with pertussis/ whooping cough should also receive preventive antibiotics.  

The CDC recommends good hygiene to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses.  

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. 
• Put used tissue in the waste basket. 
• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 
• Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available. 

 For further information please refer to: CDC: Pertussis