Outbreak Likely Larger Than Known 64 Cases Of Whooping Cough ‘Tip Of Iceberg,’ Official Says

There are probably far more cases of whooping cough in North Idaho than the 64 reported to state health officials so far this year, state epidemiologist Jesse Greenblatt said Thursday.

“When you get a reported case, it’s usually because someone thought to test for it,” said Dr. Greenblatt. “You’re seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

Panhandle Health District officials said Wednesday they’ve seen six new cases in the past month.

“Outbreaks are awful for the people who are sick,” said health district nurse Marie Rau. “But we hope it wakes people up to the need for immunizations.”

Whooping cough likes North Idaho - 131 of Idaho’s 182 cases last year were in the five northern counties. Most were near Sandpoint or Kellogg, Greenblatt said. Other hot spots were near Nampa, Caldwell and Twin Falls.

Vaccination of children includes a series of at least four shots, plus a booster shot before starting school.

In 1993, state researchers estimated childhood immunization rates in Idaho’s five northern counties at 48 percent, plus or minus 9 percent. Bonner County was estimated at 30 to 52 percent; Shoshone County at 38 to 57 percent. The variation is due to small sample size.

Statewide, 1 percent to 2 percent of families will not have their children immunized, for medical, political or religious reasons. In North Idaho, that rate is between 4 percent and 5 percent, said Merlene Fletcher, Idaho’s immunization program manager.

“There are pockets of people who don’t believe in immunization,” she said.

The six most recent North Idaho cases include two men and a woman in Hayden Lake, one Rathdrum woman and two Coeur d’Alene women, Rau said. Only one is seriously ill.

“In most adults, it’s not that big a deal. Most don’t even know they’ve had it,” said Rau. “They think they had a cold or bronchitis.”

But for children, especially infants, the disease called pertussis can prove fatal. One half of one percent of those under six months old that contract it die.

Regardless of age, if a person is suffering from severe coughing and gasping or “whooping” for breath, they should see a doctor immediately. Antibiotics are most effective if given early on, Greenblatt said. The cough can take up to two months to subside.

Eliminating the illness requires immunization of at least 90 percent of the population - enough to give so-called “herd immunity” that prevents the illness from spreading.

Airborne germs spread the illness, making it difficult to locate people who had contact with those infected. Sneezing or coughing sprays the germs around.

The disease picks up steam in the fall, Greenblatt said, because people are shut inside due to cold weather.

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