http://www.journalstar.com/local?story_id=5835&past=
Doctors hear reports of
whooping cough
Lincoln Journal Star
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Two possible cases of whooping cough in Lancaster County have put physicians
on alert.
"If we have two cases," said Dr. Richard Raymond, chief medical
officer with the state Health and Human Services System, "that means there
may be cases in other counties."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies pertussis
(whooping cough) as a dangerous and very contagious bacterium spread person to
person through the air. Before vaccines and antibiotics were developed,
pertussis was a common cause of death in young children.
Whooping cough begins with mild upper respiratory symptoms and progresses to
bouts of coughing with a distinctive "whoop" sound that are so strong
they may cause vomiting. Complications can include seizures, pneumonia and
death.
Nebraska immunizations rates for pertussis are 96 percent, Raymond said.
Immigrants from countries where immunizations are not required may have
unknowingly spread the disease, he said.
Bruce Dart, director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, said
the parents of unvaccinated children or children with incomplete vaccinations
should get them as soon as possible. Ideally, children should have diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis
shots at 2 months and again at 4 and 6 months, at 15-18 months, and a final
dose prior to entering school.
Said Raymond: "Vaccination has the potential to totally eliminate this
disease."
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