Community Corner
Whooping Cough Cases Higher Than Usual
According to Health Director Darren Rausch, through March, the health department had as many as 20 pertussis investigations, seven of which had been confirmed cases.
As the number cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, continues to climb in Milwaukee and across the state, the City of Greenfield is also seeing an uptick in confirmed cases.
According to Health Director Darren Rausch, the health department had as many as 20 pertussis investigations through March; seven were confirmed cases.
In 2004, when there was a major outbreak of whooping cough throughout the area, of the city's 91 investigations, 24 were confirmed cases. In 2009, there were four confirmed cases, followed by six in 2010 and four in 2011.
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“It’s been an uptick, but nothing like we’ve seen in the past,” Rausch said. “We’re nowhere near the 2004 level of cases at this point.”
Rausch said the most important point his department is trying to drive home with parents and caregivers is that the pertussis vaccination, while imperfect, is very important.
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“What we have going for us is that there is a vaccine that we can give to children and for those in the 10-12-year-old range, there’s a booster shot they can get,” Rausch said. “Pertussis is one of those new diseases that’s going to be with us. It has been with us for the past eight years. We have to really push immunizations where appropriate and all the cough etiquette things, and using common sense.”
Pertussis symptoms are usually defined by a cough that lasts 2 or more weeks. It can cause difficulty breathing and a persistent cough can keep those who have whooping cough up during the night.
It is a very communicable disease that can be spread easily in home or school environments. If left untreated, Pertussis can lead to death.
“There’s a lot of (pertussis activity) in our local schools,” Rausch said. “A case here or there in the elementary schools or Middle School shouldn’t give parents too much alarm, but it should encourage them to monitor their own children’s symptoms.”
The Greenfield Health Department offers pertussis vaccinations on the second and fourth Thursday and third Tuesday of every month at its clinics at .
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