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Health department reports rise in pertussis activity in Flathead Co.


The Flathead City-County Health Department has seen a rise in pertussis activity recently.
The Flathead City-County Health Department has seen a rise in pertussis activity recently.
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The Flathead City-County Health Department reported a recent rise in pertussis activity. According to a press release, 32 cases have been reported to the department this year, and department officials told NBC Montana five cases were reported Wednesday.

Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a contagious bacterial illness. Early symptoms are a runny nose, slight fever and cough, Flathead City-County Health Department infectious disease supervisor Lisa Dennison said. But the cough becomes severe as the illness progresses.

“The cough progresses into a more severe cough, to where they might get some coughing fits,” Dennison said. “Many times they can vomit afterwards, they can pass out, and some folks might even fracture some ribs because they cough so hard.”

Pertussis can only be confirmed through a nasal swab test. It’s a notifiable infectious disease, meaning cases must be reported to the health department.

If a case is confirmed, the patient and members of their household are given antibiotics, Dennison said. The Flathead City-County Health Department will also investigate the case to determine others who might have been in contact with the patient and could be at risk.

Dennison said most cases reported to the health department this year have been among elementary and middle school-age children.

“We’ve had multiple schools in Flathead County that have been impacted with pertussis,” Dennison said.

If a student is diagnosed with pertussis, the school will notify parents.

“If your child is considered to be a contact, you will be contacted by the health department,” Dennison said.

While the health department reported an increase in pertussis activity in Flathead County, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System shows that cases in the state are down from this time last year.

Last year, 98 cases of pertussis were reported in Montana through Nov. 18. This year, 59 cases have been reported through Nov. 17.

The number of cases have trended down nationally since 2012.

According to CDC data, 48,227 cases were reported in 2012; 28,639 cases were reported in 2013; 32,971 cases were reported in 2014; 20,762 cases were reported in 2015; 17,972 cases were reported in 2016; and 18,975 cases were reported in 2018.

There is a vaccine for pertussis, and in Montana children are required to be vaccinated to enter preschool or kindergarten. Children are also required to get another pertussis-containing vaccine before starting seventh grade.

Dennison said adults should make sure their pertussis vaccine is up-to-date -- even if it doesn’t prevent the illness, it could mitigate the symptoms.

“It’s concerning, the fact that it’s so highly contagious and that it is a very dangerous illness,” Dennison said. “We don’t want it to happen, and we try to limit the spread of it.”

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