More Pertussis Cases Reported Spokane County Cases Hit 76; Panhandle Total Reaches 180

Sat., April 26, 1997

Julie Titone And Virginia De Leon S Staff writer

On Friday, the Spokane County Health District reported a big jump in the number of diagnosed cases of pertussis.

The disease, commonly called whooping cough, infected another 29 county residents. That brings to 76 the number of cases reported since April 17.

In Kootenai County, the “epicenter” of the outbreak in Idaho, three more cases were reported. That brought the total to 180 for the Panhandle.

The outbreak began three weeks ago. An intense campaign to diagnose and treat the disease began after the death of a Post Falls boy whose day care was in Spokane.

Coeur d’Alene area doctors have been referring suspected pertussis patients to the Panhandle Health District. Testing will continue there next week, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 1111 Ironwood Drive.

The Spokane County Health District does not do pertussis testing, referring people instead to their doctors. As numbers continue to rise, health district officials are working with school districts to evaluate potential exposures to the disease.

Central Valley School District sent letters to the parents of all 10,500 students warning them of the pertussis outbreak.

Two of the confirmed cases were at Chester and Adams elementary schools. More are being investigated at Blake and Opportunity elementaries and Horizon Junior High, said Skip Bonuccelli, the district’s public information officer.

Meanwhile, no students at Chester and Adams are allowed in school without a doctor’s note. Parents were contacted by phone on Thursday.

, DataTimes

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