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Routt County public health working to educate about whooping cough

As cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have risen in Colorado and across the country, officials at Routt County Public Health are working with medical providers to remind staff and patients of the signs and symptoms of this highly infectious respiratory illness.

County health officials also are reminding medical staff to report positive and suspected cases of whooping cough.

Dr. Brian Harrington, medical director for Routt County Public Health, noted that pertussis can be life-threatening for infants due to their lack of immunity and small airways.



According to statewide nonprofit Immunize Colorado, pertussis is a serious, highly infectious disease that impacts breathing and is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. The illness is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and is indicated by the “whoop” sound following coughing when an infected person inhales.

Some infants who contract pertussis will not cough at all; instead, they will stop breathing and turn blue, according to Immunize Colorado. One-third of babies who get pertussis may be hospitalized.



Routt County Public Information Officer Amanda Shepherd said the health department has been “working with schools on reminding families to get caught up on back-to-school vaccinations, which includes pertussis.”

In Routt County during the 2023-24 school year, 93.5% of K-12 children were fully vaccinated for Tdap, or the combined vaccination for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, with data missing from one school, Shepherd reported last week.

“That vaccination rate is good but should be higher,” Harrington said. “It is important for everyone to realize that a great percentage get vaccinated; it’s a relatively small percentage who do not.”

Roberta Smith, Routt County public health director, noted the statewide Tdap vaccination rate is 89.9% for K-12 for last school year.

“We could be better,” Smith said of the Routt rate. “When you look at population health, anything 94 to 95 percent protection level will help the health of the population. We’re close.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whooping cough is a common disease with frequent outbreaks and peaks in reported cases every few years. Cases can occur in many different settings including schools and childcare centers, hospitals and large geographic areas.

The CDC reported more than five times as many cases of pertussis the week of Oct. 19 compared to the same timeframe in 2023. The reported cases this year are higher than at the same time in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials say mitigation measures such as masking and remote learning lowered transmission of pertussis during the pandemic.

Although immunity decreases in vaccinated humans over time, adults may not need a booster except when the booster was missed at age 11-12, for women during pregnancy or for caregivers of newborns, Smith said. The CDC recommends that expectant mothers receive a Tdap vaccination, which can protect nine out of 10 babies from being hospitalized with whooping cough.

Routt County Public Health is a Vaccines for Children program provider that offers vaccines including Tdap at no cost to children 18 or younger who might not be vaccinated because of inability to pay and are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, American Indian or Alaska Native. The CDC recommends all infants and children receive five doses of Tdap vaccinations with a shot scheduled at 2, 4, 6 and 15-18 months and then again at 4-6 years. A booster shot is given at 11-12 years.

Harrington said pertussis can be detected through a simple nasal swab test that doctors then submit through the local hospital lab.

“Testing is dependent on the patient and provider being suspicious and getting a test,” Harrington said. “Classically, pertussis involves a persistent and often dramatic spasmodic cough. When I have found a case of pertussis, it involved a clinical picture that was distinct from a regular ‘cold.'”

Vaccines for Children clinics are offered by appointment 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Public Health Office at 135 Sixth St. in Steamboat Springs.

For details, call 970-870-5341 or email PublicHealthInfo@co.routt.co.us.


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