Whooping Cough Poses Threat To Children, Doctors Warn

Health experts are now warning parents to get their children immunized against pertussis or commonly referred to as whooping cough. They said it is vital to protect the youngsters from the potentially fatal disease as data showed that there were many infants who were hospitalized last year and the number is still increasing up to now.

On Wednesday, Jan.20, Chief Health Officer Patrick Luedtke told The Register- Guard that in 2015 about half-dozen of infants residing in Lane Country were hospitalized due to whooping cough and the cases surged at the end of the year until this year.

Luedtke warned if parents will remain incautious about the outbreaks, it is expected that the number of sickened infants will increase rapidly. "The immunization rate for Lane County among 2-year-olds, as well as school age children, is too low to adequately protect our community from outbreaks," he added.

Medical Health Officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi also reminded parents about the importance of vaccination to protect themselves against the disease. Since figures showed that there has been eight cases of whooping cough since the beginning of January, he identified that five of the cases were from Vernon while three of it were from other nearby communities.

He said having such cases was "alarming." Hence, he wants to educate parents about the signs and symptoms of the illness. The doctor said the symptoms include coughing, sometimes accompanied by vomiting or gagging. "Once parents suspect that the member of the family has a whooping cough, they should visit a doctor right away because if left untreated it can be deadly," Golmohammadi told to the iNFO news.

The doctor further added that the said illness is "completely vaccine-preventable disease." Parents just need to make sure that their vaccinations are up to date. He then said that families should always make time to visit their local public health center to receive the vaccines they need. Always seek professional medical help, especially if symptoms persist.