Recognizing whooping cough symptoms early is key, officials say

From the Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

Recognizing whooping cough symptoms early is key, officials say
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

That runny nose and cough you’ve been battling might be more than the common cold, health officials warn.

Four cases of whooping cough were reported in McHenry County in the past month, and officials are urging people to be especially attentive to their symptoms.

“You can be contagious and not even realize it,” said Debra Quackenbush of the McHenry County Department of Health.

Whooping cough, formally known as pertussis, usually starts with a runny nose, cough or fever. It is highly contagious and spread through contact with infected people. Symptoms can seem minor, so it usually goes undetected and isn’t treated right away. But doctors said that was one of its dangers.

“Somebody sneezing, somebody else coughing; ... you catch it from breathing in the germs,” said Emily Shen, a doctor at Mercy Crystal Lake Medical Center-West. “You can wash your hands, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away without the infection.”

As the illness worsens, people experience “persistent and more severe” coughs, said Dana Hartwigsen, a pediatrician at Centegra Health in Huntley.

For infants, the first sign of whooping cough could be feeding difficulties, or a slight cough. Sometimes infants will gag, stop breathing for a few moments or their lips will turn blue.

If the illness is caught early, most will be treated with antibiotics. But the effectiveness of antibiotics decreases the later the disease is caught.

"Usually the antibiotics are helpful if you give it during the very first stage, and not very helpful if you give it in the stage after that," Hartwigsen said.

After the first week or two of the illness, children and adults might experience serious coughing episodes, and most of their symptoms will worsen.

"The patient might develop gagging or might be struggling to breathe ... while they're having coughing attacks," Hartwigsen said. "Some people might even turn blue in the lips."

The best way to prevent the illness from getting to the second or even third stage that follows is by making sure children are getting all the recommended and required immunizations, Shen said.

"[Parents say,] 'Do they really need that? Yes they do," Shen said. "Right now there's not a lot of studies [that] prove how long it lasts."

Even though immunizations aren't required for adults, people ages 19 to 64 can protect themselves from the illness by getting tetanus shots – which commonly include diphtheria and pertussis vaccine – every 10 years or so, Quackenbush said.

Schools are doing their part to prevent a possible outbreak in the county by carefully examining the symptoms students exhibit.

"I think it puts you on a higher alert when you know there's known cases there in the county," said Denise Linde, nurse at Johnsburg High School.