Pertussis Activity on the Rise in Snohomish County

Be advised that pertussis (whooping cough), a vaccine preventable disease, is on the rise within Snohomish County especially in children under the age of 5 years old. Pertussis is a potentially serious illness caused by bacterial infection and anyone at any age can become sick. For adults and older children, it is typically a mild illness. However, it is particularly dangerous for anyone younger than 1 year of age. Infants can end up hospitalized and the disease can be fatal for them. 

Vaccination (DTaP or Tdap vaccines) protect against pertussis. While people who are immunized can sometimes become infected and spread infection to others, they generally have mild disease themselves. More information on Pertussis can be found from:

• Snohomish County Health Department 
• Washington State Department of Health
• Weekly update on pertussis activity statewide

It is important for child care providers to make sure that:

• all children have current Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) forms on record and that they are current on their pertussis (DTaP) vaccine.
• child cares that have children who have personal, religious, or medical exemptions to DTaP have a list of all children who are exempt. This list must be kept per HIPAA requirements and be available quickly should a case show up in the child care.
• it is strongly recommended for all staff who work with infants have received a Tdap booster vaccine. 

As a reminder, child cares must report all cases of pertussis (whooping cough) to Snohomish County Health Department at 425.252.5415 or 425.339.3503.