October 21, 2004

Contacts: Madison Public Health, Dr. Kathryn Vedder 266-4821

Dane County Public Health, Gareth Johnson 242-6511

PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT:
MAJOR WHOOPING COUGH OUTBREAK IN DANE COUNTY

DANE COUNTY, WI-Despite the flu vaccine shortage dominating the headlines, Dane County is in the midst of a growing outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. In an effort to slow down the spread of the illness, City of Madison and Dane County public health officials want Dane County residents to be aware of the symptoms, get proper medical care and stay home when they are sick. Last month, there were 134 cases of pertussis reported to the city and county public health departments. And 52 cases already this month.

Total Pertussis Cases
2004:  396 (as of October 18th)
2003:  83
2002:  66

"This is a very serious outbreak of pertussis," says Dr. Kathryn Vedder, Director of the Madison Department of Public Health. "Anyone with a severe cough, especially lasting more than seven days, should seek proper testing and treatment so they don’t spread the illness." Pertussis is a bacterial disease that is spread through the air by close contact with a person who has the illness. The disease begins much like a cold. Common symptoms include:

  •  Runny nose
  • Irritating cough for 1-2 weeks that worsens over time
  • Spells of explosive coughing that interrupts breathing, eating and sleeping commonly followed by vomiting and exhaustion
  • Loud crowing or "whooping" sound as the person with pertussis struggles to inhale air, this symptom usually occurs only in infants and toddlers
  • Cough is worse at night and cough medicines usually don’t help

"People who suspect they or their children may have pertussis must get treatment immediately," says Gareth Johnson, Dane County Division of Public Health Administrator. "Everyone who has had close contact with a person with a confirmed case of pertussis- family, friends, co-workers, playmates- need to take preventative action in order to prevent further the spread of the disease." 

Those preventative actions include: being tested by their healthcare provider once symptoms appear, treated with appropriate antibiotics and isolated at home for 5 days. While pertussis may not be life threatening to adolescents and adults, they can easily transmit the disease to other susceptible people, including infants and the elderly, producing severe complications and even death. It is important that infants receive their pertussis immunizations (DtaP) on time.

As Dane County deals with the pertussis outbreak and the upcoming flu and cold season, it’s important that people with symptoms of the illnesses stay home from work or school to prevent spreading it to others. "Employers need to understand that a day missed from work could prevent others employees from becoming ill as well," adds Dr. Vedder. Madison and Dane County Public Health officials will be available for interviews about this serious outbreak of whooping cough. Please contact Dr. Vedder at 266-4821 or Gareth Johnson at 242-6511 for more information about this public health threat.