Whatcom County health officials warning about pertussis outbreak
Whatcom County health officials are managing a cluster of pertussis cases amid a general increase in the highly contagious respiratory aliment that can be extremely painful and sometimes proves fatal.
Officials at the Department of Health and Community Services said its “staff are investigating multiple pertussis cases in Whatcom County associated with higher education settings” without naming the source in online and public statements.
A Western Washington University spokesman told The Bellingham Herald that its campus has seen three recent cases of pertussis, but there are no known infections now.
“We had three confirmed cases about two weeks ago, before spring break; all were treated immediately,” WWU’s John Thompson said in an email. No cases of pertussis were reported at Bellingham Technical College or Whatcom Community College, officials there told The Herald.
Pertussis is commonly called whooping cough because of the characteristic sound that its sufferers make as they gasp for breath between uncontrollable bouts of coughing. It is a communicable disease that must be reported to health officials.
It is especially dangerous for newborns and infants, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Meghan Lelonek, one of two physicians at the Health Department, said the cluster of cases at WWU is unusual because it is among adults who are vaccinated.
“That vaccine immunity wanes over time. It is one of those tricky situations when we’re encouraging vaccine, and we’re still getting sick with them. But we know that it helps to prevent that serious health illness and death, and again it helps to reduce the rate in that (age) 0 to 1, that difficult group,” Lelonek told a combined session of the Whatcom County Health Board and the Public Health Advisory Board, where she gave a presentation about the disease Tuesday.
The vaccination rate for pertussis among kindergarteners in Whatcom County was at 85% for the 2024-25 school year, behind the statewide average of 90%, according to the state Department of Health. Nooksack Valley schools had the lowest vaccination rate at 77%, and Meridian had the highest at 89%.
Whatcom County has reported 15 cases of pertussis this year through March 21, the state said. In 2024, Whatcom County had 189 cases, the fourth-highest in the state.
Lelonek said that health professionals recommend the vaccine as the best way to prevent pertussis, because it is safe and effective. The vaccine, called TDaP or Tdap, is readily available at pharmacies, doctor’s offices and through free clinics.
Symptoms of pertussis resemble a common cold for up to two weeks, with a runny nose, low-grade fever and mild cough. That progresses to “intense coughing fits that can cause vomiting, red/blue face, extreme tiredness, or apnea (pauses in breathing), particularly in infants.,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Broken ribs, bruising and bloodshot eyes are common. It can last for months, and was once known as the “100-day cough.”
Yes, whooping cough (pertussis) is notoriously painful, causing violent, uncontrollable coughing fits that can last for months, earning it the name “100-day cough”. The intense, spasms often lead to cracked or bruised ribs, abdominal pain, vomiting, severe exhaustion, and broken blood vessels in the eyes or skin.
A 5-year-old died of pertussis in 2024, the first death in Washinton state since 2011. Chances of death from complications of pertussis are about 100 to 1.
Joni Hensley, a member of the Public Health Advisory Board and a former public health nurse, described the last pertussis outbreak in 2006, which prompted a countywide immunization effort.
“We did employ the sort of concept of circling the wagons around the little ones, encouraging grandmas and grampas and a whole lot of other folks to also get vaccines, because despite the fact that they may not get sick, they can still transmit this to thie babies. It worked.” Hensley said.
