A big seasonal increase in the number of cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, has prompted the Colorado Department of Health and Environment to remind people to to get their vaccinations.
“We really can’t point to any one thing as a cause, pertussis seems to go up and down in cycles every three to five years,” said Dr. Lisa Miller, the state’s acting chief medical officer.
The last peak cycle in Colorado was between 2004 and 2005, during which the state recorded more than 1,000 cases of pertussis each year.
This year, between July 1 and Nov. 13 there have been 229 cases of whooping cough reported in Colorado. The largest numbers have been reported in Jefferson and Arapahoe counties.
Denver has reported 17 cases, up from five in the first half of the year.
Health officials typically recommend that infants receive the combined innoculation against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, or DTaP, at 2-, 4- and 6-months of age.
Boosters are recommended at 12 to 15 months, between 4 and 6 years of age; again between the ages of 11 and 12, and then between the ages of 13 and 18, if they have not had other boosters.
Adults under age 65 should also get a booster once in their adulthood, the health department said.
The new guidelines released today in a press release call for anyone near an infant to make sure they have followed the standard guidelines, or get vaccinated if they haven’t. This includes caregivers and family members, even those aged 65 or older, and underimmunized pre-adolescents ages 7 to 10 years.
Pertussis in adults, and those vaccinated, presents with mild symptoms, but 50 percent of infants who get whooping cought end up hospitalized, Miller said.
Eight of the 229 cases in Colorado since July have required hospitalization, but there have been no fatalities.
“In adults it’s not a serious disease, it’s a nagging disease, like a cough that lasts weeks and weeks and weeks,” Miller said. “But those babies are our primary concern.”
Pertussis can be fatal in some cases.
California, also going through a peak outbreak for the whooping cough, has already seen 10 related deaths this year.
Pertussis is highly contagious, and is spread through particles released in coughing, sneezing, or kissing, much the same way as the common cold.
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372 or yrobles@denverpost.com
