The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services reports a local case of pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, has been confirmed, and is warning people may have been exposed to the illness at four locations this month.
Those locations are:
- North Coast Nurture Center, 1807 Central Ave., McKinleyville
- Trumpet Behavioral Health, 901 O St., Suite C, Arcata
- Rainbow Dreamers in-home daycare in Fortuna
- Humboldt Senior Resource Center (Fortuna location), 3200 Newburg Road
Public health officials are monitoring what “may be the beginning of a spike” in cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection spread through respiratory droplets.
Whooping cough, the DHHS notes, is “especially dangerous for infants younger than 12 months.”
“Babies are at the highest risk for complications because their immune systems are still developing, and many have not yet completed their primary vaccination series,” the department said in a release. “Serious complications can include pneumonia, seizures, brain injury due to lack of oxygen and in extreme cases even death. Many infants who contract pertussis require hospitalization for supportive care.”
DHHS is advising individuals who were at any of the locations and “develop mild cold symptoms” to contact their medical providers, noting that “depending on when you were at the site and when your symptoms developed, you might need antibiotics.”
“Early diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antibiotics can reduce the spread of infection, and antibiotics are most effective when started early in the illness,” Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Candy Stockton said in the release.
Pertussis may present with mild cold symptoms at the beginning, according to DHHS, but after a week or two “can progress to severe coughing fits that may last for weeks or even months. These coughing spells can be so intense that they cause vomiting, rib fractures, exhaustion and difficulty breathing.”
The “whoop” sound following coughing that gives pertussis its better known name “is more common in children,” the release states, adding “many adolescents and adults never develop it, making the disease more difficult to recognize.”
“Vaccines including Tdap (for adults) and DTaP (for children), reduce the risk of getting whooping cough if you are exposed and reduce the risk of getting seriously ill if you do become infected,” the department said. “It’s important to remember that immunity from both vaccination and previous infection decreases over time. This means adults can become infected again, often with milder symptoms, and unknowingly spread the disease to vulnerable infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.”
DHHS also adds that: “Staying up to date on recommended boosters is an important part of protecting those around us.”
For more information about pertussis and where to get vaccinated, visit the California Department of Public Health website, talk to a medical provider or contact the Humboldt County Public Health’s Communicable Disease Program at (707) 268-2182.
