Pertussis cases confirmed in the county

School district aware of whooping cough

A potentially dangerous illness has been confirmed to be present in the Crested Butte Community School. According to a notice sent out by the Gunnison Watershed School District on Monday, March 2, pertussis, or whooping cough, has been confirmed “among our student and adult populations.”

Pertussis is a contagious bacterial infection spread by coughing and sneezing. Normally, the cough gets progressively worse and is especially persistent at night. Some people “whoop” as they struggle to get air into their lungs.
Because of health and privacy regulations, the grades and ages of the victims are not being released.
Registered nurse Brenda Ryan runs the county immunization program for Gunnison Public Health. She said there are three confirmed cases of the illness in the county.
Pertussis is most dangerous to babies and infants, especially those who have not completed the three-dose immunization cycle. “It used to be called the 100-day cough,” Ryan explained. “It can last a while. And it can be severe for people who contract it. You go into cough spasms and people sometimes can’t catch their breath. It can be so bad that a person’s color changes and they might vomit after an attack. That’s why it is more dangerous for babies. If they can’t catch their breath they can stop breathing. I’ve seen babies on ventilators. It is an exhausting cough for anyone but very, very dangerous to babies.”
Neurological problems can result from pertussis. The cough can actually last up to three months. Pertussis can occur in immunized individuals, because the immunity gained from vaccination may wane.
School district nurse Kelly Woodford wrote in a notice emailed to parents that if you have a cough, you should contact your health care provider. If pertussis is diagnosed, a round of antibiotics will likely be administered. Woodford also recommends parents check the immunization records of the household and arrange for appropriate vaccinations if they are not up to date.
Ryan said it has been a few years since there were confirmed pertussis cases in Gunnison County. “Last year there were 1,500 cases confirmed in Colorado but none here. It isn’t frequently tested here. That might change now that there are confirmed cases locally.
“Overall, Gunnison and Boulder Counties are typically under-immunized,” Ryan continued. “Many people do not immunize their children. And with pertussis, it spreads easily from a cough or a sneeze. Plus it’s not very severe in the beginning so people don’t realize they have it. It gets worse the longer you have it. People who aren’t immunized are more susceptible. It’s a big part of the issue. It puts more people at risk. Even if you are immunized, the vaccination wanes so it can impact anyone. We have a lot of healthy kids here but we also have some medically fragile children who are a big risk. Kids with asthma, for example. It could be a really big issue for them.”
Ryan said people are trying to go to the lab to get tested without a doctor’s order but she explained people need to see a physician first. The lab cannot run the test without a physician’s order. So she recommended that if you think you might be infected, call or go see your doctor first.
Protocol dictates all persons diagnosed with pertussis must be excluded from school and work for at least five days after antibiotics are started, returning on the sixth day.
Ryan’s final advice is not to panic. “Be diligent keeping immunizations up to date for both adults and kids. We’ve been lucky the last couple years or we’ve been slow to test. Now that we have confirmed cases, physicians might be quicker to test. I think we’ve been lucky in the past few years but now it is important to protect everyone, especially the babies.”