Health Main Page
Administration
Environmental
Personal Health
Birth & Death Records
What's Happening
Emergency Preparedness
FAQs
Contact Information
Back to Home Page

About Skokie
Residents
Business
Visitors
Search

What You Need To Know About Pertussis

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial infection. It was a major cause of serious childhood illness in the early 1900s and can still be found in the community today. Pertussis is spread through coughing and sneezing.

During 2004, the Chicago Metropolitan Area experienced a large pertussis outbreak, as did the rest of the United States. Adolescents were primarily affected, and 65 schools within suburban Cook County (including 6 Skokie schools) had cases of whooping cough. This disease continues to be circulated in the community.

Symptoms
Pertussis infection is very serious in infants and young children because their airway or “breathing tube” is much smaller than older children and adults. Adults and adolescents usually have milder symptoms and may not have the characteristic “whoop”, but can spread the disease to others just as the younger children do through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms usually appear 5-10 days after exposure, but can take as long as 21 days.

The first symptoms can easily be mistaken for a common cold: a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. The symptoms often progress to severe coughing spasms which are usually worse at night, with “whooping” as the child tries to breathe in, and vomiting after coughing. The cough associated with pertussis, often referred to as “the hundred day cough” usually lasts several weeks to months even when the affected person is treated with antibiotics.

Treatment
Pertussis is treated with antibiotics. People who come into close contact with someone suffering from pertussis such as family members and close friends should receive antibiotics to prevent infection, particularly if they come into contact with children <1 year of age. Antibiotics must be prescribed by your regular healthcare provider, so calling him/her with the exposure information after close contact with a person having pertussis is vital. Medical providers are advised to test symptomatic individuals for pertussis if they suspect infection and report possible cases within 24 hours to their local certified health department.

Should you or your child have a positive test for pertussis, a communicable disease specialist from the local certified health department where you live will contact you to determine close contacts of the ill person and to assure that all necessary precautions are being taken to protect you, your family and those who are close to you.

Vaccine Protection
Most young children have received vaccine to prevent pertussis. They receive doses of the pertussis vaccine in the form of a DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis) shot, usually at 2, 4, 6, and 15 months and then a booster at 4-6 years of age for a total of 5 doses. These early childhood pertussis vaccines provide protection when children are most susceptible to serious illness, but immunity begins to wane three to five years after the last shot. Protection can be completely gone by the time a child enters middle school. Children age 12 – 17 years were the ones most affected by pertussis in 2004, although there were many adult cases as well.

In 2005, two new vaccines became available for prevention of pertussis in adolescents and adults: Boostrix® (for ages 10 - 18 years) and Adacel™ (for ages 11 - 64 years). Adolescents and adults who have not received a tetanus and diphtheria vaccination in the past 5 years should receive this vaccination to prevent infection with pertussis. Your regular healthcare provider or the Skokie Health Department can provide you with additional information.

The Skokie Health Department provides free childhood vaccinations to all Skokie residents and students attending Skokie schools by appointment or at a walk-in clinic on the 2 nd and 4 th Wednesday of each month. They make appointments for clinics that are held weekly on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Children age 10-18 can receive the new pertussis-containing vaccine or any other required vaccinations through the Skokie Health Department by providing their complete immunization record and making an appointment. The record can be faxed to “the nurses” or dropped off at the Health Department. At this time the Skokie Health Department does not carry the Adacel™ vaccine which is FDA approved for adults but does have referrals for companies that do carry this vaccine. For more information, call the Skokie health Department at 847-933-8252.

[Back to Top] | [Back to Health Main Page] | [Back to Home] | [Search]

Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Phone: (847) 673-0500
Fax: (847) 673-0525
E-mail: info@skokie.org

Disclaimer