PORT TOWNSEND — Public health officials confirmed two new cases of whooping cough in Jefferson County children this week, bringing the total number of cases there to 10.
Eight cases of the highly contagious bacterial disease had been confirmed in Jefferson County by Friday, and Clallam County had four cases by then.
No new cases have been reported in Clallam County as of Thursday.
“This is still going on in Jefferson County, so we’re expecting more,” said Dr. Tom Locke, public health officer for both counties.
Expects count to rise
Locke said he expects the number to rise because it can take three or four days for a suspected case to be confirmed.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath.
In rare cases, it is fatal. Two infants died from whooping cough last year in Washington.
Those with confirmed pertussis cases on the North Olympic Peninsula are between 3 months and 14 years old.
“That’s the group we’re really concerned about,” Locke said.
“We’re especially concerned about infants under 6 months of age.”
175 across state
The state Department of Health reported 175 cases in Washington this week.
State health officials have said whooping cough is a growing concern; there were 912 cases in 2011, compared with 608 in 2010.
Locke attributed the rise in the number of cases to lower immunization rates.
“We’ve been concerned for years about the rising exemption rates in school-aged children,” Locke said.
Vaccinations
Parents who believe the whooping cough vaccine is unsafe or unnecessary “set us up for outbreaks,” Locke said.
“It can spread rapidly,” he added. “For some people, it can be deadly. For others, it’s more of a nuisance infection.”
Meanwhile, a federal advisory panel Wednesday recommended that all Americans age 65 and older get vaccinated against whooping cough.
Under-reported
Locke said it’s a good idea for grandparents to get vaccinated to protect their grandchildren, especially infants, from infection.
Health officials believe whooping cough is under-reported in older adults, perhaps because in older people, the illness can be hard to distinguish from other coughing ailments.
Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are usually adopted by the government, which sends the guidance out to doctors.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
