New shot can prevent whooping cough
Friday, May 22, 2009 12:14 PM PDT
BOISE (AP) — Idaho health officials say the state is on track to record twice as many whooping cough cases this year than in 2008, but few kids and adults are signing up to get a new booster shot to protect against the contagious illness.
So far in 2009, Idaho has 44 confirmed cases of whooping cough, also called pertussis, with an epicenter in Ada and Elmore counties, The Idaho Statesman reported. Forty cases were reported in all of 2008.
Health officials say confirmed cases represent only a small percentage of people who actually get sick.
‘‘We are at the tip of the iceberg with all of the coughing kids we’ve seen this winter,’’ said Barb Thomas, nurse at the 1,300-student Borah High School in Boise. Just two cases of pertussis were confirmed among students, both in April, and six more unconfirmed cases were treated by physicians.
Thomas saw another dozen students who fit the pertussis profile.
The problem, authorities say, is that too few Idaho children get the vaccine, and too few teens and adults get booster shots to keep their immunity up.
A baby died of whooping cough in eastern Idaho in April. The child was too young to be vaccinated — children can get pertussis vaccinations after 6 months, state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn said. Officials declined to provide details. Many people are unaware of the booster shot, which is relatively new. State health officials hope that more adults will line up for the booster soon.
‘‘We’ve had such a problem for years and years in Idaho,’’ said Hahn.
