CDH Alerts About Death from Pertussis

BOISE, March. 3, 2025 – Zentraler Bezirk Gesundheit announces that a resident of their health district has died from pertussis.

The adult resident passed away from pertussis in February of 2025. While pertussis was listed as the cause of death, there were other health factors that may have contributed.

Central District Health covers Ada, Boise, Elmore, and Valley counties. The current outbreak of pertussis has been ongoing since January of 2024. There have been 574 cases of pertussis reported in the current outbreak, compared to seven cases in 2023 and two cases in 2022.

CDH recommends community members be cautious to reduce the spread of the disease. Wash your hands, cough into your arm and talk to your physician if you or your family experience a cough, runny nose, congestion or fever.

Pertussis is also known as whooping cough due to the peculiar high-pitched “whoop” sound made when the person inhales at the end of the coughing fit, although this symptom is not always experienced. Other symptoms may include a runny nose, congestion, or fever, but most people recognize it from the long-lasting cough. People may develop rapid, violent, and uncontrollable coughing fits and some may vomit after such fits due to the severity of the cough. The cough can last for months or return months after the illness first started. Pertussis is often more severe in children and those with certain underlying health conditions and can cause difficulty breathing.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to the family of this member of our community,” says Sarah Wright, epidemiology program manager at CDH. “This is a tragic reminder that the pertussis outbreak is still ongoing in our community, and that we still need to take steps to protect those in our community that are at higher risk of severe infection.”

Wie verbreitet sich Keuchhusten?

The illness is caused by a bacterium, Bordetella pertussis, which is spread from person to person through the air after someone who has pertussis coughs or sneezes. If not diagnosed and treated with antibiotics, an individual can spread the disease for up to three weeks after their cough starts.
Personen, die bekanntermaßen mit Keuchhusten in Berührung gekommen sind, können auch Antibiotika einnehmen, bevor sie erkranken, um die Krankheit zu verhindern. Wenn Sie glauben, an Keuchhusten erkrankt zu sein oder mit Keuchhusten in Berührung gekommen zu sein, wenden Sie sich bitte an Ihren Gesundheitsdienstleister, um Tests und Behandlung zu besprechen.

Ist Keuchhusten vermeidbar oder behandelbar?

Keuchhusten ist sowohl vermeidbar als auch behandelbar. Es gibt einen Impfstoff, der eine Person davor schützen kann, zu erkranken oder schwer zu erkranken.

Immunity to pertussis begins to wane about five years after vaccination, and boosters can offer an individual more protection.

The CDC recommends two different kinds of vaccines based on age: DTaP and Tdap. The DTaP vaccine is intended for individuals two months to seven years old and is a series of five vaccines. Tdap is intended for anyone seven years or older and is usually given every five to 10 years as a booster. Both vaccines protect against pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria.

Auch Schwangere sollten mit ihrem Gesundheitsdienstleister über eine Impfung sprechen; eine Impfung während der Schwangerschaft kann das Baby immun machen, bis es alt genug ist, um sich impfen zu lassen. Wenn Sie Fragen zu Ihrem Impfbedarf haben, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Gesundheitsdienstleister über Ihren Impfstatus, um festzustellen, ob Sie möglicherweise eine Auffrischungsimpfung benötigen.

CDH offers the Tdap and pediatric DTaP vaccines nach Vereinbarung in unserem Büro in Boise.

Über Central District Health

CDH, Public Health District IV, ist einer von sieben öffentlichen Gesundheitsdistrikten im Bundesstaat Idaho und betreut die Bezirke Ada, Boise, Elmore und Valley. Mit der Vision "Gesunde Menschen in gesunden Gemeinden" liegt der Schwerpunkt des CDH auf der Verringerung der Risikofaktoren für chronische Krankheiten, der Verbesserung der Lebensqualität und der Erhöhung der Zahl der gesunden Lebensjahre der Einwohner.

Kontakt:

Stephanie Borders, Communications Manager
Büro: 208-327-8639 | Handy 208-871-1712
sborders@cdh.idaho.gov | cdh.idaho.gov/news
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