16 New Whooping Cough Cases Reported Last Week

Posted on November 8, 2010

Sixteen new cases where other children may have been exposed to whooping cough, or pertussis, were reported this past week in San Diego County, according to Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) officials – though none of the new cases were in the Poway Unified School District area.

The total number of confirmed pertussis cases for this year is 782 including two infant deaths. San Diego County had a total of 143 confirmed cases in 2009 and doubled its previous record of 371 confirmed cases set in 2005.

Pertussis is often mistaken for a common cold at first. As a result, people are usually unaware that they have the highly contagious illness and are infectious to others for up to 21 days.

“The incidence of pertussis remains high which is why we recommend that children and adults who are in close contact with children get immunized,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “Without immunity, all age groups can contract it, but infants can develop life-threatening complications.”

A typical case of pertussis in children and adults starts with a cough and runny nose for one-to-two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.
For more information about whooping cough, please call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit the web site at www.sdiz.org.

This week’s new pertussis cases where there is a potential for public exposure are:

An 11-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Pacific Beach Middle in the San Diego Unified School District.
An 11-year-old who was due for a booster shot and attends Burton Tiffany Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
A 1-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Montessori School in Oceanside.
A 4-year-old who was unimmunized and attends Westminister Christian Preschool in Escondido.
A 7-year-old who was unimmunized and attends Bernardo Elementary School in the Escondido Union School District.
A 15-year-old who was not up-to-date on immunizations and attends Point Loma High School in the San Diego Unified School District.
A 15-year-old who was due for a booster shot and attends Christian High School in El Cajon.
A 9-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Murdock Elementary School in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.
An 8-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Paul Ecke Central Elementary School in the Encinitas Union School District.
A 4-year-old who was due for a booster shot and attends Early Childhood Learning Center at Point Loma Nazarene University.
A 16-year-old who was due for a booster shot and attends Youth Day Center/Reflections, North in the Probation Department San Marcos location.
A 7-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Green Elementary School in the San Diego Unified School District.
A 2-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Children’s Learning Center in Oceanside.
An 11-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
A 14-year-old who was due for a booster shot and attends Sweetwater High School in the Sweetwater Union High School District.
A 13-year-old who was up-to-date on immunizations and attends High Tech Middle Media Arts School in San Diego.