Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. It leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath (Click here to hear an example of the cough). In some cases it can be fatal. Children should be vaccinated against whooping cough in five doses, with the first shot at age 2 months and the final one between 4 and 6 years. A booster is recommended at age 11.
| Meet Deanna Wright of Walden, Colorado and hear how her family battled Pertussis (Whooping Cough). |
Outbreaks of pertussis are occurring in states across the US, including Colorado. The Centers for Disease Control is urging adults, especially pregnant women and those who have contact with an infant, to be vaccinated so they don’t spread pertussis within the community.
In a recent press release from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Governor Hickenlooper spoke about his experience with pertussis. “When our son was an infant, he spent two nights in the hospital after being exposed to pertussis, or whooping cough,” Gov. Hickenlooper explains in the announcement. “This is a very real and very dangerous disease and we’re seeing outbreaks nationwide, even here in Colorado. That’s why I urge you to protect your kids in the best possible way, by getting them fully immunized.”
Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association offers the vaccine for $14. To make an appointment please call 970-824-8233 in Moffat County or 970-879-1632 in Routt County.