Whooping cough on the rise in Snohomish County

Whooping cough is on the rise in Snohomish County, with the health department confirming more than 40 cases of pertussis so far this year, including 11 in the last two weeks.

Public health officials are urging families to stay up to date with vaccinations to protect against the disease. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a potentially serious illness that can affect individuals of any age, leading to severe health problems such as apnea, pneumonia, syncope, seizures and even death, particularly in very young children.

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Early symptoms include runny nose, sneezing and cough, which typically worsens after about a week, leading to severe coughing fits that can cause gagging or vomiting.

The Snohomish County Health Department’s Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response team is actively monitoring the situation and has contacted all cases and impacted locations to alert them of potential exposures. Education and treatment recommendations have been provided to all cases and contacts.

Vaccines such as DTaP for babies and young children and Tdap for preteens, teens, adults and pregnant women are effective in protecting against whooping cough. Health officials emphasize the importance of staying up to date with these vaccinations, especially as kids return to school and respiratory virus season approaches.

Residents can contact their healthcare provider or visit the Snohomish County Health Department’s website for more information on pertussis and vaccination.

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The disease led to the cancellation of the Portland State University (PSU) football game last Saturday.

PSU and South Dakota had been set to meet for the first time at Hillsboro Stadium. According to Portland State, the team was exposed to a whooping cough case two days ago.

While PSU told KOIN-TV “no one is seriously ill at this time,” medical staff from both teams determined they should not play the game out of caution.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.