Whooping cough spreading throughout the Fraser Valley

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FRASER VALLEY (NEWS1130) – Fraser Health is urging all adults and youth who are in regular contact with young children to see their doctor or participating pharmacist and get the free whooping cough vaccine.

Since early December there have been more than 150 suspected or confirmed cases of whooping cough reported in Fraser Health.  Cases were initially confined mostly to the eastern Fraser Valley communities of Hope, Chilliwack, and Harrison/Agassiz, but recently cases have been reported Burnaby, New Westminster and Maple Ridge.

Whooping cough is a very contagious disease that causes severe coughing that may last for months. It can be a very serious illness in young children and babies, who have small airways. More than half of infants less than one year of age who get whooping cough must be hospitalized and in some cases, it is life threatening.

“The best protection against whooping cough is to get vaccinated,” says Dr. Paul Van Buynder, Fraser Health’s Chief Medical Health Officer.

“The booster shot is especially important for those who have or expect to have close contact with infants and young children. The vaccine that most people get when they are children only offers protection for 4-10 years so there are many adults without adequate coverage,” he explains.

Fraser Health is also encouraging parents to ensure their children are fully immunized and is asking health care professionals and the public in all Fraser Health communities to be alert for the signs and symptoms of whooping cough. Early diagnosis and treatment will help prevent the spread of the illness to those most at risk.

Free vaccine is available through doctor’s offices and participating pharmacies in the Fraser Health region for all adults and youth who have not had a whooping cough booster in the past five years and who are in regular contact with young children. A list of immunizing pharmacies can be found at here.

To check your child’s immunization records and, if necessary, make an appointment for childhood immunizations, contact your local health unit during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

New whooping cough research emerging

A professor of public health at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health says better diagnostics could explain the outbreak.

Adults have always suffered from whooping cough, according to Dr. Rick Mathias. “We just didn’t recognize it. Now that the diagnostic tests are very much better, we are able to make that diagnosis and we’re able to detect these epidemics.”

It’s also been discovered that even healthy people can carry the illness. Mathias also says a recent study has revealed that the vaccines that we received as babies won’t necessarily protect us throughout our lives.

“We have found over the last years with very good research that the immunity to whooping cough wanes with time. You can get attacks through your teenage years and as adults,” he notes.

Which is why getting another whooping cough shot as an adult is probably a good idea during an epidemic.

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a disease that causes very severe coughing that may last for months. Whooping cough is very contagious and can be a severe illness in those without adequate immunizations. Whooping cough spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or laughs, putting bacteria into the air. After the bacteria infect someone, symptoms appear about seven to 14 days later.

Early symptoms are like those of a cold (sneezing, runny nose, a low fever and a mild cough). But over the next week or two, the cough gets worse leading to longer spells of coughing that often end with a whoop or crowing sound when the person breathes in. The coughing may be so bad that it makes a person gag or throw up. Sometimes a thick, clear mucous is spit out. This cough can last up to a month or two, and happens more at night.

What should you do if you/your child develops symptoms?

If you or your child develop cold-like symptoms that you think may be whooping cough, you should be examined by a doctor.

Call ahead so that you can be seen quickly and not expose other people by sitting in a waiting room for any period of time. You may also be examined in an isolation room (if available) and given a mask to wear, or, arrangements may be made for you to attend the clinic at a time when the waiting room is empty.

Bring your/your child’s immunization record with you.

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