Health & Fitness
Whooping cough outbreak is worst in over 50 years; Washington state and Wisconsin hit particularly hard
The outbreak of whooping cough, the worst in over 50 years, is potentially fatal to babies one year old and younger. Washington state has an epidemic and Wisconsin has been hit hard.
Our 23-year-old daughter announced that she'd been diagnosed with whooping cough, a dry, uncontrollable cough that kept her awake at night and sometimes made her vomit. When the Johnson County Public Health Department called her while she was at our house, she answered extensive questions about who she'd exposed to the whooping cough.
She'd already told her coworkers. She told her friends. She told us. Jim and I, her parents, are both taking five days of Zithromax. Some people call it a "Z-pack." You take two pills the first day as a loading dose and then take another pill a day for four more days.
Jim had his diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis booster shot last year. I debated whether or not to get my DPT booster shot now, right before RAGBRAI, or after RAGBRAI. I decided, after consulting with a nurse, to get my shot after RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI is strenuous enough, especially when it's hot, without going into it feeling like someone punched you in the arm.
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CBS News just led off with an announcement that the whooping cough outbreak is the worst in decades, and only 18% of adults are adequately protected with DPT shots and DPT booster shots. The outbreak of whooping cough is the worst in over 50 years according to Reuters. Washington state has an epidemic, and Wisconsin has been hit hard as well. CDC experts are thinking the DPT series of shots wears off earlier than previously though, since 13-14 year olds who've been vaccinated are contracting the illness. Whooping cough/pertussis is most dangerous for babies younger than a year old and can be fatal in that age group.
I remember back in the late 1990s when I worked for the Visiting Nurse Association as a social worker and a four-year-old Amish girl contracted the whooping cough and attended a dinner. The whooping cough spread out from there, but I don't know if that was nationwide or just in Iowa.
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Joyce, a VNA administrator, helped the county health department track the progression of the outbreak.
Jim and I weren't sure we had any symptoms of whooping cough. I had a cough, but it could have been allergies or asthma.
Sarah feels better. My little 111-pound, 5'3 1/2" hardhat with steel-toed boots was taking water samples at construction sites today. I'm so proud of her. She said she unloaded 900 pounds of salt in 20 minutes today, her personal best.