Whooping Cough Treatment, Symptoms & Definition: Micro-Outbreak Possible, Worries Officials

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A new disease is making health officials worried as the number of cases reaches 70, leading experts to believe that a micro-outbreak is on its way.

KWCH writes that it looks like a new outbreak is on the horizon as Reno County Health Department confirmed 41 cases with 30 incidents under observation.

Director Nicholas Baldetti said it could go up once school starts and kids get back to school. He also said that the local health department is working closely with public schools to help identify kids who may have the disease so they can get vaccinated at once.

CBC Canada News adds that the infection is not solely contained in the US alone. Health officials in Bruce County in Western Ontario, Canada said a farming community is affected by the whopping cough outbreak. So far, there are 39 cases in the county which is mainly caused by under-immunized population.

Hazel Lynn of Grey Bruce Health shared that the populations affected are within the community of Old Order Amish and Mennonite. They are also monitoring Northern Huron County as several cases are now being observed in that area as well. Lynn adds that it will be unlikely for outsiders to get affected by the disease and that they are working closely with the community to avoid spreading the infection.

Whopping cough or pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease that is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes it as uncontrollable and violent coughing that causes difficulty in breathing. After several fits of cough, an individual infected with the disease often needs to take deep breaths where a "whooping" sound is heard.

Infants and children are highly at risk of this disease which can last up to 10 weeks. Vaccination is the best way to prevent pertussis, and there are vaccines that are specific for the individual’s age range. CDC reports that pertussis is an endemic disease in the US which peaks every three to five years but the most number of cases have been reported last 2012, where 48,277 individuals have been infected creating an outbreak.

CDC warns that whooping cough can be dangerous and life-threatening especially in infants. If this disease is left untreated in children, it can result to lung infection, convulsions, apnea, disease of the brain and in worst cases, it can also lead to death.