Southeast Iowa child dies of whooping cough

A southeast Iowa child has died from complications of pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

The death serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccination, said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

She would not say how old the child was or where the child lived, due to confidentiality laws.

Quinlisk did not know whether or not the child or family had been vaccinated against pertussis, but noted that almost always, whooping cough is transmitted from adults to children.

Adults may not realize they have whooping cough because symptoms can begin like the common cold.

Vaccine-preventable diseases can cause complications and death among infants and young children who are too young to be fully vaccinated, Quinlisk said.

“It's important for all adults, especially those around children less than 5 years of age, to be fully vaccinated to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like pertussis,” she said.

Whooping cough, a disease caused by bacteria, causes coughing spells so severe that it is difficult for infants to eat, drink or breathe.

The disease is spread when someone who is sick with pertussis coughs and spreads the bacteria to others.

Coughing spells can last for weeks. Pertussis can lead to pneumonia, seizures, brain damage and death.

Quinlisk said it is critical for everyone around infants and young children to be up-to-date on their tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines.

Until recent years, there was no pertussis vaccine for adults, but now the tetanus booster vaccine, Tdap, contains pertussis.

For more information about pertussis, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/adper/pertussis.asp