Pertussis Rates Skyrocket Nationwide

Pertussis Rates Skyrocket Nationwide

As of mid-July, 18,000 cases of Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough) had been reported nationwide—the highest number since 1959, according to Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The rise in pertussis is particularly significant in the state of Washington where, according to the CDC, more than 2,500 cases were diagnosed between January and June of this year—a 1,300% increase from the same period in 2011. As a result, Mary Selecky, BA, Washington state’s Secretary of Health, has declared the disease an epidemic.

The greatest increase in cases, according to Schuchat, has involved infants younger than 1 year. Though the disease is said to be cyclical, showing a spike every 3 to 4 years, she notes that a variety of factors may explain the steady national upswing, including the fact that the vaccine’s efficacy diminishes over time. Improved data collection and reporting of disease outbreaks were also mentioned as likely contributing factors.

Both Schuchat and Selecky recommend that all infants, children, and adults—especially pregnant women and those frequently around infants—be vaccinated against pertussis. They also advise all health care providers to encourage their patients to get vaccinated.

Helene Bednarsh, BS, RDH, MPH, a public health and infection control expert in Boston, tells Dimensions of Dental Hygiene how dental hygienists can respond to this development. “One lesson to be learned is that standard precautions need to be universally utilized for all patients during all procedures,” she says. “Immunization for vaccine-preventable diseases is a significant protective barrier, and all dental health care workers should know their vaccine status and review their need to update their immunizations.”