Whooping cough (pertussis)
Whooping cough (pertussis) is at high levels in King County and Washington state. Get protected!
Whooping cough is a very contagious cough illness. It is spread through droplets from the mouth and nose when a person with pertussis coughs, sneezes, or talks. Young infants are at highest risk for severe illness, hospitalization and death from whooping cough.
Vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others
Whooping cough vaccine prevents disease and saves lives. Before routine childhood whooping cough vaccination there were on average over 200,000 cases of whooping cough and 4,000 deaths EACH YEAR in the US. Whooping cough cases and deaths have been reduced by over 90% through widespread use of routine whooping cough vaccination. Despite this success, whooping cough has not been eliminated and has been increasing in recent years, reminding us of the importance of keeping vaccination rates up.
Be sure all children, teens & adults are up-to-date with whooping cough vaccine. Older children, teens and adults who aren’'t up-to-date on their vaccine can spread the infection to infants, pregnant women and others.
Whooping cough vaccine is available through many health care providers and pharmacies
Talk to your health care provider to make sure your whooping cough vaccine is up-to-date. Many local pharmacies also offer whooping cough vaccine and it is covered by most insurance plans. A complete list of pharmacies offering whooping cough vaccine is available here.
If you don't have insurance or can't afford to pay for the vaccine:
You can get low-cost whooping cough booster shots for adults at local QFC and Bartell Drugs pharmacies. Vaccines are offered at low cost for children under 19 through health care providers participating in the state's Childhood Vaccine Program.
If you are already a client at a community health center or public health center, you can also get low-cost whooping cough vaccines for children and adults there. When you get a low-cost vaccine, health care providers and pharmacies may charge a fee up to $15.60. (In comparison, the normal cost of the Tdap booster shot without insurance is from $60-$100.) If you cannot afford the fee, you can ask to have the fee waived.
If you need information on health insurance or help finding a healthcare provider, call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 or visit www.parenthelp123.org.
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Resources for the general public
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Resources for health care providers
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Resources for schools, early learning, and child care programs
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Purpose of surveillance:
- To prevent transmission of pertussis to infants and other persons
- To identify outbreaks and implement disease control measures including vaccination and early recognition, testing, and treatment of cases
Local epidemiology:
During the first quarter of 2012 King County has received more cases for this time of year than in any of the previous ten years. One hundred cases were reported in King County between January 1, 2012 and March 31, 2012. Thirteen cases were in children under the age of one year, including six who were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
For comparison, in all of 2011, 98 cases of pertussis were reported. Children under the age of one year accounted for 16% of cases. Four cases were hospitalized. No fatalities were reported. A household member was the suspected source for 39% of cases overall and for 69% of cases in children under the age of one.
Peaks in pertussis activity are typically observed every three to five years. In Washington state usually 400 to 1,000 cases of pertussis are reported annually. On average, the state has one death due to pertussis each year. In 2011 there were 2 deaths from pertussis in Washington state, both children under one year of age.
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