Boulder County Public Health recently sent a notice to let families know about an increase in youth whooping cough cases in Boulder, with some students potentially attending prom and after-prom for Boulder and Fairview high schools.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious illness spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs, and another person breathes in the bacteria. Symptoms usually develop seven to 10 days after exposure, but can develop from four to 21 days after.
Symptoms may include cold-like symptoms in the first few days of illness, severe coughing starting in the second week of illness and continuing for up to three months, gagging or vomiting after coughing episodes, difficulty getting a breath because of coughing, and coughing at night. Whooping cough can be severe in infants and children and may require hospitalization.
Fully immunized individuals can still become ill from pertussis, but will generally have a milder illness. They are still contagious. Students diagnosed with pertussis need to remain at home until five full days of antibiotic treatment have been completed.
Most often, the illness affects older children and adults because the immunity gained from childhood immunizations decreases over time. Anyone over age 10 can get a booster tetanus vaccination that also contains protection against pertussis.
For more information, call the Boulder County Public Health Communicable Disease Control Program at 303-413-7523.
