Get whooping cough shots, state says after Chatham hit
Published: Fri, Nov. 14, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Fri, Nov. 14, 2008 02:22AM
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closeWith at least 16 suspected cases of whooping cough in Chatham County, health leaders are again emphasizing the need for vaccinations against the potentially fatal disease.
For the first time this year, North Carolina required children in sixth grade to get a booster shot for pertussis, which is also called whooping cough for the distinctive high-pitched sound patients make during severe coughing spells.
"In 2007, we did have one death of a child" from pertussis, said Dr. Leah Devlin, state health director. "That is just unacceptable in a vaccine-preventable illness."
SHOTS FOR BABIES
Babies should begin immunization against pertussis at 2 months, with additional vaccinations at 4 and 6 months. Two more shots are required before kindergarten, and the booster shot is required before entering sixth grade. For more information on the state's childhood vaccination schedule, go to www.immunizenc.com/Parents.htm.
HISTORY OF PERTUSSIS
ONE-TIME KILLER: Before a vaccine was rolled out in the 1940s, more than 200,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States annually. The vaccine has cut prevalence by 80 percent, although the disease remains a killer in developing countries where vaccinations are not common.
ON THE RISE: In 1976, a record low of 1,010 cases were reported nationally. In 2004 and 2005, more than 25,000 cases were reported.
SLOW START: Initially, the disease comes on like a cold, causing a runny nose, low-grade fever and occasional cough. But the cough grows more severe, causing frightening spasms so severe people can crack ribs, turn blue, and vomit. These coughing spells can come and go for more than a month.
HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS: Children too young to be fully vaccinated and those who have not completed the series of shots are most likely to suffer severe illness. And without booster shots, up to 90 percent of older children and adults get sick after being exposed to the disease.
NEW SHOTS: For years, doctors couldn't give booster shots of the pertussis vaccine to children over the age of 7, because there were too many adverse reactions. But new drugs have been developed that are safe, and now national public health leaders advocate booster shots for older children, plus shots for women of childbearing age as a means of adding protection for babies.
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Devlin said vaccinating older children will disrupt the disease's ability to spread, offering protection to babies who could pick up infections from older brothers and sisters. She said next year's pertussis numbers should be down as a result of the booster shots.
Already this year, 146 cases of whooping cough have been confirmed, including one in Chatham County. Holly Coleman, public health director in Chatham County, said the confirmed case involved a 9-year-old girl, and her grandmother is among the 16 people who are suspected of having the illness.
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