Whitman County Public Health is alerting the community that there has been an outbreak of Pertussis, but so far it’s confined to the Washington State University population. As of Friday at noon, there were five confirmed cases of Whooping Cough, all WSU students. They are asking the students to isolate themselves until they’ve completed their 5-day course of antibiotics.
While there are no reported cases in the population outside the college, they are asking Whitman County residents to be proactive. Sneeze into your elbow, not your hand, throw away tissues immediately – don’t reuse them, stay home if you’re sick, and always wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.
Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, is characterized as starting like a cold and increasing in severity until you have a cough with its signature “whoop” sound. A release from Public Health says not everyone gets the whoop sound though, and that includes infants who can have the most severe complications.
