NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency/Public Health has received confirmation of a case of whooping cough (Pertussis) in a local child.
Public Health nursing staff members are conducting a contact investigation of persons who may have been exposed in collaboration with the Mendocino County Assistant Health Officer for Communicable Disease Dr Charles Evans.
HHSA Public Health reminds residents that whooping cough is a highly contagious but preventable disease and encourages everyone to be vaccinated through their primary care provider particularly pregnant women and children.
Adults should be current with their booster shots to reduce the spread of the whooping cough. Booster shots for whooping cough are critical because, unlike some other vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, neither the whooping cough disease nor vaccine confers lifelong immunity.
It is important that both children and adults are up-to-date on their immunizations, health officials reported.
The symptoms of whooping cough vary by age. For children, cases of whooping cough typically start with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks. The cough then worsens and children may have rapid coughing spells that end with a whooping sound.
Young infants may not have typical whooping cough symptoms and may have no apparent cough. Parents may describe episodes in which the infant’s face turns red or purple. For adults, whooping cough may simply be a cough illness that persists for several weeks.
To avoid the spread of whooping cough the California Department of Public Health recommends:
- Pregnant women receive a whooping cough vaccine booster during the third trimester of each pregnancy, even if they received it before.
- Infants can be vaccinated against whooping cough as soon as possible. The first dose is recommended at two months of age. Young children need five doses of pertussis vaccine by kindergarten (ages 4-6).
- California seventh grade students receive the whooping cough vaccine booster as required.
- Adults receive a whooping cough vaccine booster, especially if they are in contact with infants or are health care workers who may have contact with infants or pregnant women.
More information about whooping cough is available on the CDPH Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov , then click on the tab for “Health Information.”