Whooping cough outbreak contained for now

The Lincoln County Public Health Department said there are no new cases of pertussis reported over the weekend.

Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, spread through Eureka schools last week. Initial reports indicated 11 cases in the school system on Wednesday, Nov. 25. That number had spiked up to 25 by Friday, Nov. 28.

Lincoln County public health coordinator Jennifer McCully confirmed the number of reported cases. On Dec. 1, she said no new cases had been reported over the weekend. She also confirmed that no cases had been reported outside of Eureka.

Pertussis can be a very serious disease, particularly for infants younger than one year old. It is a respiratory infection that begins with symptoms similar to the common cold. Coughing fits then become extended, especially at night. Patients struggle to breathe between coughs, which results in a high-pitched whooping sound.

The disease is spread through airborne contact with bacteria, generally the result of sneezing or coughing. The contagious nature of the disease is magnified in close environments, such as schools.

The disease is serious but rarely fatal, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fatalities are usually among young infants and people of fragile health.

County health officials, in conjunction with Eureka schools, implemented a number of containment protocols that appear to have been effective at limiting the spread of the disease. Focusing upon the infected students, health officials then isolated and tested close contacts – anyone with regular contact to the patient, such as students who regularly sit with or by the patient, teammates and locker-mates.

Parents of children exhibiting any symptoms of the disease were encouraged to be tested for pertussis. The children were kept home from school until cleared by their doctors.

While no cases were reported outside of Eureka, officials with the Libby Public School District were aware of the situation and paying close attention.

Libby High School Principal Ruth VanWorth-Rogers said she was unaware of any reported cases in Libby. She said the school regularly monitors student absences and identifies the reason for absence.

“Our nursing staff is also involved in monitoring of our attendance and the situation in Eureka,” VanWorth-Rogers said.

Officials with the Troy Public School District were also closely monitoring the situation. Superintendent Jacob Francom said, “We are in a wait-and-see pattern right now.”

People infected with pertussis are most contagious in the first two weeks of illness, and very little can be done to treat the actual disease. The regular treatment, McCully said, is a course of antibiotics that help reduce the contagion. After five days of antibiotics there is no further risk of spreading the disease.

There is also a vaccine available, McCully said, that is about 70 percent effective. Even in the cases where pertussis is contracted, though, the vaccine reduces the effect and makes the symptoms seem more like the common cold.