Increasing Chickenpox and Whooping Cough cases found in Grant County

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - The Grant County Health District released a notice that there has been an increase in chickenpox (varicella) cases over the past several months, as well as three cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in the Moses Lake area.

Chickenpox:

GCHD has been investigating reports of chickenpox in various areas of the county and is in the process of managing an outbreak at a childcare center in Warden. Several children at the childcare center, who were not eligible for the chickenpox vaccine, are being affected.

Anyone who is eligible to get up to date on the chickenpox vaccine is urged to do so as soon as possible.

GCHD Administrator Theresa Adkinson said, "The chickenpox vaccine is extremely effective in preventing the disease. We encourage you to review your family's immunization records and schedule an appointment for anyone not up to date with their chickenpox vaccine."

If you have not had chickenpox you can help protect vulnerable groups by getting vaccinated. Chickenpox is highly contagious and can have serious complications, including death. It is contagious for two days before any rash appears and until all blisters have scabbed over. After being exposed to the virus it can take 10 to 21 days for symptoms to appear. Common symptoms are a rash of itchy blisters, fever, headache and feeling tired.

If you have chickenpox, you should not be in public until your fever is gone and all blisters have scabbed over, which usually takes 7 days.

People with weakened immune systems, newborns and pregnant women are considered high-risk groups who can develop serious or life-threatening illness from chickenpox, and yet, they are not eligible for the vaccine.

Getting vaccinated within 5 days of exposure to chickenpox can prevent the illness or at least make the symptoms milder.

Whooping Cough:

Three Grant County residents are being monitored by GCHD with 2 confirmed and 1 suspected case of Whooping Cough. The three cases happened in the Moses Lake area and appear to be linked. GCHD has notified people who may have had contact with the infected individuals. GCHD said that these cases indicate that Whooping Cough is present in the county and that anyone with an unexplained cough should contact GCHD and be tested.

Whooping Cough is a very contagious and serious infection. Symptoms will usually occur within 5 to 10 days of exposure, but in some cases symptoms can show up 3 weeks later. Early symptoms are usually low-grade fever, runny nose, mild cough and in babies, apnea (a pause in breathing) can occur. Later, symptoms may become more severe with fits of rapid coughing followed by a high-pitched "whoop," vomiting during or after coughing fits and exhaustion from coughing.

Vaccines for Whooping Cough are DTaP for babies and kids under 7-years-old, and Tdap for kids over age 7, adults and pregnant women. Pregnant women need a new Tdap vaccine for every pregnancy.

Highest-risk groups for Whooping Cough are infants under 1-year-old, pregnant women (especially in the third trimester) and people with chronic respiratory illness.

Antibiotics are used to treat Whooping Cough. The sooner treatment is started the better, both to keep the disease from spreading and to make the symptoms less severe.

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