Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100625/NEWS02/6250309/-1/NEWSMAP
23 cases of pertussis have been reported this year (Jackson Co.)
By Anita Burke
for the Tidings
June 25, 2010
The number of whooping cough cases in Jackson County has soared, prompting public health officials to remind people of the importance of vaccination against the disease, which is highly contagious and potentially deadly to infants.
So far this year 23 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, have been confirmed in the county, more than twice the number usually seen in a whole year, said Viki Brown, Jackson County's public health division manager.
Over the past five years, the county has had an average of 10.8 cases per year. During a serious outbreak in 2003, more than 100 cases were recorded.
The cases that have been confirmed in lab testing this year have hit patients ranging from 2 months old to 55 years old, Brown said. Studies have shown that a relatively small fraction of cases are diagnosed and confirmed, so more people in the county likely have been infected, she said.
The Jackson County Health Department sent an advisory to area doctors in March, when nine cases had been diagnosed, to alert them to the increase in pertussis cases. Since then, the number of cases has continued to rise, Brown said...
23 cases of pertussis have been reported this year (Jackson Co.)
By Anita Burke
for the Tidings
June 25, 2010
The number of whooping cough cases in Jackson County has soared, prompting public health officials to remind people of the importance of vaccination against the disease, which is highly contagious and potentially deadly to infants.
So far this year 23 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, have been confirmed in the county, more than twice the number usually seen in a whole year, said Viki Brown, Jackson County's public health division manager.
Over the past five years, the county has had an average of 10.8 cases per year. During a serious outbreak in 2003, more than 100 cases were recorded.
The cases that have been confirmed in lab testing this year have hit patients ranging from 2 months old to 55 years old, Brown said. Studies have shown that a relatively small fraction of cases are diagnosed and confirmed, so more people in the county likely have been infected, she said.
The Jackson County Health Department sent an advisory to area doctors in March, when nine cases had been diagnosed, to alert them to the increase in pertussis cases. Since then, the number of cases has continued to rise, Brown said...
