Release Date: Dec. 21, 2001
Contact: 
Sandra DeSanto, BSN, CPH
Public Health Nurse
720.887.2247

Since November 15, 2001, there have been three lab-confirmed cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in the City and County of Broomfield. The following information, issued by the Public Health Division of the Broomfield Department of Health and Human Services, will assist health care providers and parents in recognizing signs and symptoms of pertussis.

The primary goal of pertussis/whooping cough control efforts in the school-aged children is to prevent the incidence and possible mortality resulting from infection of infants and young children. Prevention of this disease in older children and adults is also important but is a secondary goal because pertussis is generally a less severe disease in these age groups.

The Health Division suspects that other illnesses such as croup, strep, and influenza may be present in the pediatric and student population at this time.

What is Pertussis?

Pertussis/whooping cough is a bacterial, respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis. Whooping cough is relatively harmless for older children and adults but can be debilitating or fatal for infants.

What are the Symptoms?

The illness may begin with "cold-like" symptoms which progress to a cough, or the child may simply begin coughing. Severe coughing fits may cause the child to vomit after coughing or to have spells of breathlessness. Sometimes a high-pitched crowing (the whoop) is heard with inhaling after a coughing spell. The coughing can last one to three months. In young infants, the disease can be fatal. In older children, who were never immunized or in those whose immunity has diminished over a period of years, the disease can vary from quite mild to a prolonged bout of uncomfortable, exhausting coughing lasting several months.

Incubation Period

The time frame before symptoms begin after being exposed to someone with pertussis is commonly seven days (almost uniformly within 10 days, and not exceeding 21 days).

How is it Diagnosed?

Culturing specimens from the nasal passages makes the diagnosis of pertussis and any positive results should be reported to the local health department within seven days.

Period Of Communicability

The ability to infect another person with pertussis is greatest in the early stages when "flu-like" symptoms or coughing is evident. Individuals are virtually never infective after the third week of the disease, or after five to seven days on antibiotic treatment.

Control Of Spread and Treatment

The disease is spread by direct contact with droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person. If pertussis has been confirmed and the individual is being treated with antibiotics, the individual may be released from isolation after five days of treatment. For those individuals not treated with antibiotics, he or she should be isolated at home until three weeks after the onset of the illness or until the cough has stopped, whichever period is shorter.

Specific treatment guidelines include:

1. All household or other close contacts (regardless of DTP immunizations status) should receive oral antibiotics. If symptomatic, they should be isolated at home until they have received at least five days of antibiotics.
2. Children who are less than seven years of age and who are household or other close contacts of a pertussis case should receive DTP/DTaP vaccine if they are not age appropriately immunized; or their last DTP/DTaP dose was more than three years ago.

Future Prevention

Pertussis vaccine, given along with diphtheria and tetanus toxoid in the recommended schedule (DTP), is an effective means of prevention in childhood and early adolescence. Vaccine protection wears off as as people age.

Health Education

Pertussis is a serious and debilitating disease of early childhood, which can be prevented by vaccination. Vaccine-acquired immunity begins to wane during adolescence, making these individuals susceptible once again. The risks of the disease are not as serious, however, in older groups and it is felt that under most circumstances, persons older than age seven should not be revaccinated with pertussis-containing vaccine because the risks of vaccination complication then outweigh risks from the disease.

For more information, contact the City and County of Broomfield Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health at 720-887-2200.