SPOKANE, Wash. — A whooping cough outbreak is currently making its way across the Inland Northwest, leaving many families worried about keeping the infection out of their homes.
On Tuesday, there was a confirmed outbreak in Spokane County. As of Thursday, there are 133 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, in the county. Six of those cases resulted in hospitalizations.
At this time last year, Spokane County had zero cases.
Even though whooping cough is an infection that commonly affects children, doctors say adults are more likely to spread it.
“Unfortunately, this is one of those things where adults tend to be the people who are transmitting it to others,” said Dr. Sarah d’Hulst, the medical director at Multicare’s Rockwood Clinic.
Dr. d’Hulst said unvaccinated adults are most at risk of infecting those around them. This can be dangerous since serious cases of pertussis can result in hospitalization.
Even for people who don’t go to the hospital, there is no medication to treat the infection and it can be hard to kick.
“We used to call pertussis, and still do, the 100-day cough,” d’Hulst said. “You may cough until you’re out of breath or cough for literally three months.”
If you’re unsure whether you’re up to date on your D-TaP or TDaP vaccine, it’s not a bad idea to get another one.
“Very little risk. If you think it’s been a really long time, probably safe to go get one right now,” d’Hulst said.
If you or someone at home has a lingering cough that makes it hard to breathe, or a cough that’s lasted more than seven days, d’Hulst said it’s a good idea to call your clinic. It can give you a rapid test to determine if you have whooping cough.
For a detailed description of symptoms and updated case numbers in the region, visit the Spokane Regional Health District website.
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