Community Corner

Whooping Cough Case Reported in Encinitas

The local students attended Olivenhain Country Preschool and Ada Harris Elementary School.

On Wednesday, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported several new cases of pertussis at 11 locations where others may have been exposed to the disease.

The new pertussis cases reported at the following locations were all up-to-date for their age on immunizations:

  • An individual at Olivenhain Country Preschool in Encinitas
  • An individual at Waterworks Aquatics in Carlsbad
  • An individual at Murray Callan Swim School in Pacific Beach
  • A 7-year-old at Notre Dame Academy in San Diego
  • An 8-year-old at Ada Harris Elementary School in the Cardiff School District
  • A 10-year-old at R. Roger Rowe Elementary School in the Rancho Santa Fe School District
  • A 10-year-old at Boys and Girls Clubs of San Dieguito in Solana Beach
  • A 13-year-old at Meadowbrook Middle School in the Poway Unified School District
  • A 15-year-old at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego
  • A 16-year-old at Canyon Crest Academy in the San Dieguito Union High School District
  • A 17-year-old at Rancho Buena Vista High School in the Vista Unified School District

The number of cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, reported in the county now stands at 38 for 2014 and 424 for 2013. Cases are reported from the date of symptom onset, so several of the newly confirmed cases have increased the count for 2013. There were 165 cases reported in 2012 and a recent high of 1,179 cases in 2010.

Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A typical case of pertussis starts with a cough and runny nose for one to two weeks, followed by weeks to months of rapid coughing fits that sometimes end with a whooping sound. Fever, if present, is usually mild. Antibiotics can lessen the severity of symptoms and prevent the spread of disease to others. Deaths can result as a complication of pertussis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get doses of DTaP vaccine at the following ages: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months, and 4 to 6 years. Health officials also recommend that preteens and adults get a Tdap booster. Infants younger than 1-year-old are especially vulnerable because they do not have the full five-dose series of pertussis vaccinations.

Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Parents can obtain the vaccine series and the Tdap booster shot for themselves and their children through their primary care physicians. Local retail pharmacies offer vaccinations for a fee, and anyone who is not covered by a medical insurance plan can get the shot from a County Public Health Center at minimal or no cost.

For more information about whooping cough and ongoing vaccination clinics, call the HHSA Immunization Branch at (866) 358-2966, or visit sdiz.org.

—San Diego County News Center


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