So far this year, there have been 41 confirmed cases of pertussis – or whooping cough – in Cass County.
Dr. Tracie Newman is a pediatrician and serves has Health Officer for Fargo Cass Public Health. She says since August 1st, there have been 15 confirmed cases in Cass County. And she says the spike in cases is not just happening locally.
"Unfortunately, we've been seeing kind of a number of pertussis outbreaks nationwide - and we've been experiencing one here in North Dakota, particularly in Cass County. We sent out a news release in December of last year, and again in February. We've had a little bit of a lull here in the summer, but now as children have returned to school and daycare centers - we've really seen an uptick in cases."
Newman says pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory disease, spread by droplets as people cough or sneeze – and is categorized by a loud, whooping sound. She says certain groups are more vulnerable to the disease, such as pregnant women, infants and the elderly. But she says vaccines are effective at protecting those groups.
"The DTAP vaccine we have for children which is given as a series in infancy, and then they get a TDAP booster during adolescence. Any adult whose never had a TDAP vaccine is encouraged to get one; and then we offer a booster every ten years. This is a disease where the immunity wanes, so even if you've had a previous infection or a vaccine, you could still be at risk every five to ten years or so."
Newman says pregnant women are strongly encouraged to get the vaccine during their third trimester to pass protection onto their babies – and she says anyone who will be around that baby is encouraged to get the shots as well.