Alberta Health Services (AHS) has declared a whooping cough outbreak in the province's central zone following a spike in cases.
A bacterial infection, whooping cough or pertussis can lead to pneumonia, seizures, brain damage or death. Infants six months old and younger are most at risk.
In response to the outbreak, AHS is offering increased immunization appointment opportunities in the region effective immediately, Dr. Digby Horne, one of three medical officers of health in the central zone, told the Gazette on Dec. 4.
The immunizations are specifically intended for infants and preschool children who are not up to date on immunizations, caregivers in close contact with infants such as parents, grandparents, childcare staff, some pregnant women, and health-care workers.
“We are trying to protect infants in whom the disease is the severest by first of all recommending immunization of pregnant women regardless of their past history of immunization with pertussis when they are 26 weeks or more along with their pregnancy,” said Horne.
“That's something that hasn't been recommended before now, with the idea that the moms will pass the antibodies on to their baby during the pregnancy and protect them from the disease earlier on in their life.”
The central zone includes all of Red Deer county, and portions of Mountain View county, including Olds and Sundre, but not Carstairs and Didsbury.
There have been more than 100 cases of the infectious pertussis, including seven cases that required hospitalization, in the zone so far in 2014.
The disease, which is spread through respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing), can be treated with antibiotics.
Horne explained that whooping cough symptoms start off similar to a common cold.
“It begins with runny nose, mild cough, usually minimal or no fever, then over one to two weeks people start developing spasms of cough and that can lead to difficulty breathing or vomiting after the episodes, or a whoop-like sound when the person gets their breath again,” he said.
Anyone suspecting that they or their children have whooping cough should contact their doctor and “that way the doctor can get them in at the end of the day and take a swab and confirm whether they do or not,” he said.
Whooping cough is a disease that typically cycles in the population every three to five years, he said.
“This had occurred in 2013, but the reason we are trying to address it now is that it has continued into 2014 and involved more geographic areas of the central zone than in 2013, where it seemed to be isolated in one or two areas,” he said.
“The childhood immunizations are given at the community health centres through appointment. For the pregnant women and the adults, they can also get immunized at the community health centres through appointments or they could check with their doctors. Some doctors may be offering the vaccine,” he said.
Additional information on whooping cough can be found at www.immunizealberta.ca.
"That can lead to difficulty breathing or vomiting after the episodes."- Dr. Digby Horne
