Whooping Cough Outbreak in Calhoun County Has Officials Concerned

An infant is one of two confirmed cases of whopping cough in Calhoun County, in the past week. Pertussis (the medical name for whooping cough) is a highly infectious bacterial disease that affects people of all ages, but is harder to diagnose in infants.

The bacteria are spread through the air when another person breathes in the droplets from the infected person’s nose, throat, or mouth during coughing, sneezing, or talking. Exposure usually occurs after repeated indoor face-to-face contact. Pertussis is most contagious in the early stage of the illness before the onset of the severe coughing and up to 2 weeks after the severe coughing begins. -Calhoun County Health Dept.

Medical officials say the best way to prevent whooping cough is vaccination "typically a Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP) for children under 7 years or Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) for anyone 7 years or older", according to the same release.

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services says there have been 145 pertussis cases reported in Michigan from Jan 1, 2018 through April 30^th.

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