As of mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Nov. 12th, Chatham County had one laboratory-confirmed case and approximately 20 suspected cases of pertussis, or whooping cough. More than 100 contacts are being investigated. The Chatham County Public Health Department is currently working with Chatham County schools, child care centers, and local churches to identify exposed individuals and help them get treatment.

According to the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, whooping cough is a highly contagious disease marked by severe coughing. It is named after the "whoop" sound that children and adults sometimes make when they try to take a breath during or after a severe coughing spell.

Whooping cough symptoms usually start with cold or flu-like symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing, fever, and a mild cough. These symptoms can last up to 2 weeks and are followed by increasingly severe coughing spells. Fever, if present, is usually mild.

During a classic coughing spell:

• The recognizable “whoop” is heard as patients struggles to breathe; 
• Coughs usually produce a thick, productive mucus; 
• Vomiting may occu; 
• Lips and nails may turn blue due to lack of oxygen; and
• The patient is left exhausted after the coughing spell.

Whooping cough is most contagious during the first 2 to 3 weeks of infection, often before the coughing spells begin. It is spread through face-to-face or direct contact with someone who is infected.

Whooping cough is treated with antibiotics and patients are advised to take all prescribed medication and avoid contact with anyone, particularly small infants and children.

Teenagers and adults are at risk to catch whooping cough, even if they were immunized in childhood. We have seen Chatham County preschoolers with updated immunization that have questionable symptoms.

If you or a family member have symptoms of whooping cough or may have been exposed, please call your primary care physician or the Chatham County Public Health Department at 919-742-5641 in Siler City and 919-542-8220 in Pittsboro.

For more information, please contact Chatham County Public Health Department Nursing Supervisor, Shirley Cotten, at 542-8222.