Butler County officials issue pertussis alert

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Butler County Health Department is urging area residents to be vaccinated against a respiratory disorder that has shown up in the area for the first time in four years.

Five confirmed cases of pertussis have been reported in Butler County in the past six weeks in children ages 10 to 13, said Sherri Dodson, health department nurse and clinic manager. Another case was confirmed in Dunklin County.

"Anytime you have a contagious illness, five cases is considered something to look at," Dodson said, adding there are likely more cases that have not been confirmed through a laboratory.

Pertussis vaccines are administered at no charge at the health department and are also available at doctors' offices.

The disease is highly contagious and causes flu-like symptoms, including sneezing, a runny nose, cough and fever, which can be followed by increasingly severe coughing spells. Symptoms can last up to two weeks in mild cases. In other cases, coughing attacks may last for many months.

What can be a mild disease in older children, adolescents and adults can be much more severe in infants and young children, Dodson said.

"They can have periods [of coughing] where they can't catch their breath and can't breathe," Dodson explained.

Young children can develop whooping cough, and have coughing spells so severe they cause vomiting.

Pertussis infections among unvaccinated adults and adolescents can contribute to its spread.

"Anyone who works with children less than a year old especially needs to be vaccinated," Dodson said.