Dr. Michael Gomez: "It starts out like any other illness," said Gomez, who has had whooping cough himself as an adult and said it took months for him to get a diagnosis.
A higher than usual number of cases of whooping cough in Tulsa County has health officials concerned.
Since April, 32 residents have gotten the disease, and five have been hospitalized. They range in age from 11 days to 72 years.
More than half of the cases have been in children younger than 14, and 35 percent have been in patients ages 27 to 49.
Other than geography, the patients had nothing in common, said Nicole Schlaefli, an epidemiologist with the Tulsa Health Department.
Whooping cough is more prevalent in winter, so health officials are concerned that the situation will get worse.
"We're thinking if we're seeing this many since the spring, what's the winter going to look like? We're worried about that," she said.
The Health Department recommends that people ages 10 through 64 get the Tdap vaccine and children from 6 weeks to 6 years get the DTaP vaccine. Both protect against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or whooping cough.
"Definitely get up to date on the ones you've missed or the ones you're late on," Schlaefli said.
Students entering the seventh grade have been required to get the vaccine since 2011, but they can seek exemptions for medical, personal or religious reasons.
Adults should get vaccinated about every 10 years.
The vaccine is particularly recommended for pregnant women and those who might become pregnant, as well as for people who are frequently around young children, said Dr. Michael Gomez, chairman of pediatrics for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa.
Whooping cough can be life-threatening for babies, particularly for those who are younger than 2 months and cannot yet be vaccinated, he said.
The disease is characterized by violent and rapid coughing but can also feature a mild cough and sometimes a runny nose, congestion, sneezing and fever.
"It starts out like any other illness," he said.
Parents often believe a child in the beginning stages of whooping cough has allergies or asthma.
Gomez has had whooping cough himself as an adult and said it took months for him to get a diagnosis.
Symptoms can last six to eight weeks. There is no lifetime immunity, so a person can get the disease over and over again, he said.
Whooping cough is usually treated with antibiotics if caught early, he said.
The disease is airborne and typically spread through the cough. It can survive on inanimate objects or a person's hands and be transmitted by touch, as well, he said.
Shannon Muchmore 918-581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
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