Boulder County Public Health Working to Stop Spread of
Contagious Disease
January 18, 2007, BOULDER - The incidence of a
highly contagious disease has been on the rise across the
country for the past two decades. The same has been true for
Boulder County, where incidence rates have been 4 to 15
times the national rate.
This disease, pertussis (or whooping cough), poses one of
the most significant communicable disease threats in Boulder
County. A median of 83 cases have been reported in Boulder
County every year throughout the last decade, with 176 cases
recorded in 2004. Since 1996, Boulder County has accounted
for seven to 37 percent of the state’s pertussis cases each
year, while only representing 6.1 percent of Colorado’s
total population.
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread
through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
It starts like a common cold without the fever, but symptoms
get worse. The cough progresses to paroxysms, or "fits" of
coughing, followed by a high-pitched “whoop” as the person
tries to catch their breath. Many people will gag or vomit
following a fit of coughing. The cough can last up to 100
days.
People with pertussis usually become ill 7-10 days after
being exposed to someone with the disease; however,
incubation can last up to 21 days.
The majority of pertussis cases occur in people 10 years
of age and older, most likely due to diminished immunity,
thus making adolescents one of the most vulnerable age
groups. Boulder County pertussis data from 1999 through 2006
reveals that 52 percent of cases reported were among
individuals 10 through 19 years old.
“Most concerning, though, is that infected adolescents
and adults may be the primary carriers of the disease to
infants and other younger children, where the illness is
much more serious, even life threatening,” said Heath
Harmon, Boulder County Public Health Communicable Disease
Division manager.
In infants and young children, especially those who have
not had four doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP)
vaccine, pertussis may be very severe, resulting in
hospitalization, seizures, long-term neurological problems,
and even death.
“The high incidence of pertussis in Boulder County must
be addressed by reducing the number of people susceptible to
the disease. This can be done by vaccinating adolescents and
young adults,” said Linda Wilson, a Boulder County Public
Health epidemiologist. This is now possible through the use
of a new combination vaccine called Tdap, which can be given
to children 10 years and older and adults younger than 65,
and which provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria,
and pertussis.
In an attempt to reverse the trend of pertussis
incidence, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is launching
the “Keep Pertussis Out” educational campaign this month
aimed at parents of Boulder County adolescents and teens.
The goal is to encourage all parents to get their 10-19
year-old children vaccinated with the new pertussis booster
(Tdap).
“After speaking with many parents across the county, it
was clear that we needed to provide the community with more
information about the disease,” said Chana Goussetis,
Boulder County Public Health communications specialist. “As
parents, it is often difficult to know what the best option
is - we all want the best for our children. We hope this
information will help parents understand that the best
decision is to have their children vaccinated against this
disease.”
The Tdap vaccine is available at most physician offices
and community health centers as well as Boulder County
Public Health immunization clinic. For more information
about pertussis or the Tdap vaccine, please visit
www.KeepPertussisOut.org <http://www.KeepPertussisOut.org>
or call 303-413-7500.
For more Boulder County information:
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