Public health has seen four cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in the past three weeks.
People don’t need to be concerned, but health officials are reminding individuals who have not received their adult boosters that vaccinations are available.
“It’s not an outbreak. Whooping cough is actually still common in Saskatchewan and we usually do have sporadic cases in our health region. Having four (cases) in the last three weeks is by no means an outbreak situation,” said Rikki Skiffington, public health nurse and communicable disease co-ordinator for Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.
Pertussis is a disease caused by a bacterium. Usually it starts with cold- or flu-like symptoms: a runny nose, mild fever and a small cough. Later, episodes of severe coughing develop, followed by a “whoop” sound.
“And that’s made when they are trying to breathe in and catch their breath,” Skiffington said.
The coughing is worse at night.
Parents of some students at Carlton Comprehensive High School received letters explaining that their child may have come in contact with the disease.
“What happens is when we have a pertussis case, public health does follow up with the family to see who they have been in contact with,” Skiffington said.
They send a letter home to classmates and teammates of the sick person.
“We want to make sure that if someone starts showing symptoms of pertussis that they take that letter, go see their doctor. That way, the doctor knows they’ve been a contact case to pertussis and they can test them,” she said.
If the doctors know that something could be pertussis, then they can provide the correct antibiotics.
Once the person is on the proper antibiotics for five days, they are no longer contagious.
“The cough can still continue for one to two months afterwards. So they’re not spreading it to everybody, but they’re still not feeling 100 per cent,” Skiffington said.
Most often people who are susceptible to pertussis have not been vaccinated, she said.
Young children are vaccinated at two, four, six and 18 months of age, and at four years old, as part of routine immunization programs. They receive another booster in Grade 8.
Another booster is available for adults, but it costs $80 because it is not covered by routine health costs. It can be administered with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccine that public health officials recommend adults get every 10 years.
Whooping cough is most dangerous to kids less than one year of age, but even with significant illness in this group there has never been a death in the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, said Skiffington.
ahill@paherald.sk.ca
