• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Health / Medicine / Whooping cough cases not letting up

Whooping cough cases not letting up

January 13, 2011 By Dar Danielson

The Iowa Department of Public Health says cases of pertussis or whooping cough continue to grow in Iowa. Department medical director, Patricia Quinlisk, says there were 650 confirmed cases in 2010 and they have continued into the new year.

Quinlisk says the number of cases have not eased up and they don’t expect them to for awhile as the cases typically continue on for awhile once they get started. She says it could be a year or so before the cases go down. Quinlisk says they only thing they can do is to try and slow the spread of the disease.

Quinlisk says they encourage people to get vaccinated, and while the vaccine is not 100% perfect in keeping you from getting pertussis, it does help cut the spread. She says they particularly want people who live around young children, or children with young diseases to get vaccinated so they don’t bring the disease into the household.

Quinlisk says everyone can take steps to be sure whooping cough doesn’t spread. She says anytime you cough, cover your mouth, as the disease is spread by people coughing and the disease gets into the air. Quinlisk says adults may have the disease and not know it.

Quinlisk says most adults who get the disease have a cough, and the cough is bad, but they don’t get sick enough to keep them from going to work, and then they go into work and spread the disease. Quinlisk says whooping cough has the most impact on young kids. She says the airways of children are so small, that when the bacteria gets into their airways and causes the disease, they often have trouble breathing because their airways are swollen.

The whoop in their cough is an indication they are struggling to breathe, and it can be very serious. Quinlisk says there was a case two years ago of an Iowa child dying from whooping cough.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Health / Medicine

Featured Stories

Iowans 65+ now eligible in next phase of Covid vaccinations

Bill would remove transfer limits in five Iowa school districts

Former Iowa sports talk host sentenced to federal prison for ticket scams

Feenstra only member of Iowa delegation not at Biden’s inauguration

Congresswoman Axne favors Biden pandemic relief plan, Hinson not ruling out a ‘yes’

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

UNI adds two nonconference games to basketball schedule

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC