Four cases of whooping cough confirmed in Cache County

LOGAN — Health officials have confirmed four cases of pertussis and placed several individuals on voluntary quarantine in areas of Cache County.

"We hope to aggressively get ahead of these confirmed cases so that we can effectively reduce the spread of this disease," said Lloyd Berentzen, director of the Bear River Health Department in Logan.

The first case, he said, was reported at the end of April and three other cases were confirmed Thursday.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is highly contagious and one of the most commonly occurring vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. The bacteria is typically spread by the coughing or sneezing from an infected person and many might not even know that they have the disease, as symptoms are similar to that of a common cold.

Unvaccinated children who attend Thomas Edison South and Heritage Elementary schools in Nibley, and Spring Creek Middle School in Providence are being asked to stay home, to lessen the impact of the most recent outbreak, according to the health department.

Symptoms of the disease usually occur in two stages, beginning with a runny nose, sneezing and possibly a low-grade fever. The second stage of whooping cough, which can last for up to six to 10 weeks, includes uncontrolled spells or fits of coughing.

Infants are especially at risk for the disease, as many are too young to receive a vaccination. However, they often contract the illness from unvaccinated individuals, said Utah Department of Health spokeswoman Cindy Bemis.

"We really worry about the babies," she said. "A sneeze can go a long way."

A pertussis booster vaccine, Tdap, has been available since 2005 and protects adults as well as babies who are too young to receive the full cycle of vaccinations. Bemis said everyone should be sure they are up to date on the pertussis vaccine, which is offered in conjunction with vaccinations for tetanus and diphtheria, both also highly contagious diseases that are common in the United States.

Children need up to five doses of the pertussis vaccine to become fully immune. UDOH epidemiologist Valerie Vernon said those shots can be given to babies as early as 6 weeks old and in four- to eight-week intervals.