2-month old baby diagnosed with pertussis in Transylvania

A 2-month old baby has been diagnosed with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, in Transylvania County.

Tara Rybka, Transylvania Public Health’s spokesperson, said the health department received a report on Monday morning.

“State law requires health care providers to report cases or suspected cases of pertussis to the local public health department within 24 hours,” said Rybka. “Once we receive that notification, our communicable disease nurses conduct a case investigation which includes reviewing medical records, contacting the patient to find possible sources of exposure, identifying and notifying close contacts that they may have been exposed to pertussis, and submitting a case report to the N.C. Division of Public Health.”

Rybka said while anyone can get pertussis, it is especially dangerous for babies and people with weakened immune systems.

“They are more likely to experience serious illness and complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures and even death,” she said.

Pertussis is caused by a bacteria that is easily spread from person to person by coughing or sneezing. It causes a severe cough that can last for weeks or months. Symptoms usually begin with cold- or flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose, mild cough, watery eyes, sneezing and a low-grade fever.

The cough becomes worse and often includes rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched whoop, said Rybka. The cough can be severe enough to break a person’s rib or cause vomiting.

Pertussis is on the rise throughout the country across all age groups, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Early childhood vaccines wear off and adults and adolescents can spread whooping cough to young infants who have not had all their vaccines.

Before pertussis vaccines became widely available in the 1940s, as many as 200,000 children got sick with whooping cough each year in the country and about 9,000 died as a result of the infection, according to the NFID.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 24.1 million cases of whooping cough annually across the globe and about 160,700 deaths in children younger than 5 years old.

In 2012, the most recent peak year, CDC reported 48,277 cases of pertussis in the country but many more cases go undiagnosed and unreported.

Rybka said a pertussis outbreak is defined as three or more cases within the county which are not within the same household.

There are currently five confirmed cases of pertussis in Henderson County, said Andrew Mundhenk, spokesperson for Henderson County Department of Public Health.

“The cases span the age range of 11 months to 12 years old,” said Mundhenk. “We are in the early stages of our investigation, including determining any possible epidemiological linkages.”

“We are also notifying any known contacts who were in contact with the individuals,” he said. “Medical providers in our community have been alerted on proper procedures to identify, treat and report pertussis cases.”

Kelly Haight Connor, with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said there have not been any cases reported recently in Buncombe County.

“While overall pertussis rates in North Carolina decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained low when compared to rates in the years prior to the pandemic, we are seeing an increased number of cases in Henderson County during the last month,” said Connor.

“We continue to investigate and monitor this ongoing situation, and these numbers are subject to change as additional cases are reported,” she said. “No link between cases has yet been found outside of household contacts and cases are not known to be linked to any specific setting or exposure.”

STAYING HEALTHY“It’s so important to ‘cocoon’ very young babies by ensuring that all the people around the baby are up to date on their pertussis shots,” said Elaine Russell, Transylvania County Health director.

“This applies not only to mom and dad, but to anyone who spends any significant time with the baby, like grandparents, siblings and caregivers,” said Russell. “These immunizations are almost always covered by health insurance and people who are uninsured can receive the vaccine for no charge here at the health department.”

The CDC recommends five doses of the “DTaP” vaccine for young children beginning at 2 months of age.

Doses of the booster vaccine are recommended for preteens ages 11-12 and for adults to protect themselves and infants around them. Pregnant women should receive a dose during each pregnancy to fully protect their newborns until they are old enough to receive their first dose.

Antibiotics can be prescribed to people who have pertussis as well as their household members and close contacts.

“Because pertussis is so contagious, it is very important for infected people to stay away from others and take the entire course of antibiotics as prescribed,” said Rybka. “Good hygiene practices—like hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes—will also help prevent the spread of the disease.”

If you need a pertussis vaccine, contact your doctor or call Transylvania Public Health to find a vaccine provider near you at (828) 884-3135.