Whooping Cough is Back in Buncombe County

woman_coughing_sneezing.jpgStaff reports

Children 12 years old, or entering middle school, must now have a booster shot called Tdap.

Over the past two months, more than 30 people in Buncombe County have been diagnosed with pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Though this illness can usually be prevented by a vaccine, the number of cases in the county has been gradually increasing. Most cases have been in infants and young children, who are most at risk of complications, which range from pneumonia to death.

We have learned that the effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine gradually decreases over time. By the time many children are in middle school, they are no longer protected. This is why children who are 12 years old or entering middle school must now have a booster shot called Tdap, designed to protect older children from pertussis and prevent them from passing it to others.

 

Babies are often infected with pertussis by older siblings or care
givers who have not been fully vaccinated or whose immunity has worn
away. When these people get pertussis they often don’t have the usual
symptoms and don’t know that they have it. It is important that anyone
who cares for infants or children have a Tdap vaccine, which provides
protection from Tetanus and Diphtheria in addition to pertussis.

The Immunization Clinic at the Buncombe County Department of Health
wants to help everyone in the county get the vaccines they need. Tdap
vaccines are offered at no cost to those who care for children and do
not have insurance, while the supply lasts.

•    The Immunization Clinic is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
•    Bring your immunization record with you if you have one.


No appointment is necessary; just go to the Buncombe County Department
of Health Immunization Clinic at 35 Woodfin Street in downtown
Asheville. Get on the elevator and press “A” to go to the basement. Look
for signs directing you to “Immunization Clinic.”
Protecting Yourself Protects Others

child_covering_a_cough.jpgAnother reason Buncombe County is seeing more cases of pertussis is that
some parents and caregivers choose not to vaccinate their children by
invoking a religious exemption. Buncombe County currently has a
religious exemption rate four times as high as the rest of the state.

The higher the rate of vaccinations, the better the entire community is
protected. Conversely, the higher the rate of exemptions, the more
likely a community is to have an increase in illnesses that could be
prevented by vaccines. People who are vaccinated help protect infants
who are too young to be vaccinated or those who have a health condition
that keeps them from taking the vaccine.
The high number of people in Buncombe County avoiding vaccinations puts
more people at risk of getting the diseases the vaccinations protect us
against.

Pertussis symptoms
Pertussis can sometimes be hard to diagnose. It usually begins as a cold
with a runny nose, sneezing, and an irritating cough. After about two
weeks, the person may begin to have fits of violent coughing, growing to
as many as ten to thirty forceful coughs in a row that end with a
high-pitched whooping sound as the person takes a breath. The cough
often ends with vomiting, and there is usually only a low-grade fever.
Infants under six months of age, and children, teens and adults who
aren’t fully vaccinated, don’t always have the typical whoop.

For more information about immunizations please call (828) 250-5096 or
search www.cdc.org or, in Spanish,
www.cdc.gov/spanish/espcialesCDC/TosFerina.