No new cases of whooping cough had been reported as of Wednesday in Clallam or Jefferson counties.
Last week, Dr. Tom Locke, Jefferson County public health officer, said 17 cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough for its hallmark symptom, had been reported to Jefferson County Public Health.
The outbreak began in Kitsap County, Locke said, where 142 cases were reported from June 2014 to mid-April 2015. That was 10 times its usual annual number of cases.
So far, it has not been seen in Clallam County.
‘Doesn’t respect borders’
But Dr. Jeannette Stehr-Green, Clallam County public health officer, expects to see it spread to the county neighboring Jefferson.
“The illness doesn’t respect borders well,” she told the Clallam County Board of Health on Tuesday.
“This could be the next issue on the horizon.”
The state Department of Health says young children should get the first of a series of five doses of the vaccine known as DTap (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) beginning at 2 months old and continuing through 4-6 years old.
Children 7-10 years old who didn’t receive the full series when they were younger and youths 11-18 years old should have single doses of the shot known as Tdap.
Middle school- or high school-age youths should have another Tdap vaccination, as should adults who didn’t get a booster as teenagers and women each time they become pregnant.
Waning immunity
“There’s waning immunity” from the vaccine, Stehr-Green said.
Effectiveness declines from 98 percent after the first five doses to 70 percent for teenagers and adults and perhaps even lower with age, according to the state health department.
In Jefferson County, immunizations are available at Jefferson Public Health from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 615 Sheridan St., Port Townsend. Call 360-385-9400.
In Clallam County, they are available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays at the Health and Human Services clinic, 111 E. Third St., Port Angeles. Call 360-417-2274.
