Health concerns have burgeoned nationwide with the approach of flu season. Evanston residents, however, may have another reason to worry about their personal health.
McHenry, Lake, DuPage and Cook counties are experiencing an outbreak of the bacterial infection Pertussis, commonly known as “Whooping Cough.” Pertussis — nicknamed for its characteristic hacking cough — is highly contagious and can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics, especially in children. Though the last outbreak of the disease occurred in 1993, the number infected by Pertussis this year is the largest Cook County has seen since 1967, according to Dr. Alexandra Pae Song, medical director of the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services.
“The state doesn’t know why there is an increased outbreak,” said Song. “We are trying to gather information to answer that.”
The questions, however, do not end there. The current outbreak of Pertussis, which most commonly affects children, has infected a large number of adolescents and teenagers, said Jay Terry, director of public health with the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services. In nearby Lake County, half the residents affected by Pertussis were teens, Terry said.
“It’s a phenomenon throughout the county now,” Terry said. “We all get vaccinated as children, but there have been an abnormal amount of teens with (Pertussis).”
While officials said they cannot pinpoint any specific cause of the increase in cases, they said the most likely explanation is what they call “waning immunity.” This occurs when vaccines received as children wear off over time, causing young adults to be succeptible to the disease. Vaccines are good for about 5 to 10 years, according to the Center for Disease Control Web site.
Swapna Musunuru, a 19-year-old Communication sophomore, was infected with Pertussis in her hometown of South Bend, Ind., in early September. While hers was not a severe case, Musunuru said the vaccination she received as a child had worn off.
“It prevented me from getting it as a child but not when I was older,” Musunuru said.
In Evanston Pertussis has infected a variety of residents, from a 2-month-old to a 46-year-old, Terry said. Song said 54 percent of the cases occur in the 1- to 4-year-old range. She also said both regional and county conferences have been held for localities to compare cases and attempt to prevent the further spread of the disease.
Both the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services and the Cook County Department of Public Health are attempting to warn residents, especially families with young children, about Pertussis and how to avoid becoming infected.
Dr. Catherine Counard, assistant medical director of communicable disease control with the Cook County Department of Public Health, said she has held press conferences and distributed press releases to increase awareness of Pertussis.
“My message had been, if you have a child, I wouldn’t bring it along to public gatherings because they have the most serious consequences from Pertussis,” she said.
Good hygiene practices also can prevent infection, Terry said.
The increased media coverage of Pertussis is beginning to evoke fear in some Evanston residents. Song said some people have become unnecessarily alarmed about the outbreak.
“In some parents, we are finding a slight panic,” Song said. “We want people to know that it is infectious, but treatable.”
Counard, however, said she thinks the public has responded well to the outbreak and the panic level has remained low.
“People are appropriately concerned,” Counard said. “We had a really good response from the medical community as well. We’re working together as a team.”
Though Pertussis is treatable, Terry said residents should be more concerned when they fall ill in the upcoming months because the disease could be mistaken for the common flu.
Reach Kate Ward [email protected].
