Pertussis activity continues in certain US hotspots, such as the Pacific Northwest and Maine, and outbreaks are now being reported in Florida, Iowa, Oregon, Kansas, and New York, according to media reports.
In Washington state, where earlier this year the governor declared a pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic, 2012 cases increased to 2,092, compared with 164 during the same period last year, according to the latest update from the Washington State Department of Health (WSDH). So far, 31 of Washington's 39 counties have reported pertussis activity, with Skagit County reporting the highest number of cases, 433.
The WSDH said 131 infants under 1 year old have been diagnosed as having pertussis, including 31 who were hospitalized. Most of the babies who were hospitalized were 3 months old or younger.
A compilation of 12 recent media reports on pertussis activity in different parts of the country by ProMED Mail, the online reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, highlighted more pertussis cases in Washington's Island County schools. In addition, increased cases in Grant County that have prompted offers of free tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine by the health department and private clinics for underinsured people and those who have contact with infants and young children.
Maine has seen pertussis cases crop up in schools and has so far recorded 111 cases this year, compared with 50 at the same time last year, according to a Jun 7 update from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MCDCP).
Meanwhile, a pertussis outbreak that recently affected 10 of Florida's Hillsborough County schools has health officials worried that infections will spread to summer camps and throughout the community, now that the school year has ended, according to a Jun 2 report from the Tampa Bay Times.
Warren McDougle, MPH, epidemiology program manager for the Hillsborough County Health Department, told the Times, "Kids will be fanning out to various churches, camps and community centers, which increases the opportunity to spread pertussis and the number of people who will be exposed."
In Iowa, the pace of pertussis cases in Black Hawk County seemed to slow as the school year neared its end, the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Courier recently reported. At the statewide level, 396 cases of pertussis have been reported so far this year, a 292% increase over the average for the past 5 years, according to a Jun 8 update from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).
Pertussis activity has been cyclical, with increased activity seen every 3 to 5 years, so increased activity isn't unexpected, the IDPH added, noting that spikes in activity were also seen in 2004, 2005, and to some extent in 2010.
The ProMED pertussis update also cited reports of increased pertussis activity in Oregon, which has seen cases more than double compared with the same period in 2011, Johnson County in Kansas, and New York's Niagara County.
See also:
Jun 2 WSDH pertussis update
Jun 11 ProMED roundup
Jun 7 MCDCP pertussis update
Jun 2 Tampa Bay Times story
May 31 Waterloo–Cedar Falls Courier story
