Pertussis Outbreak
The Cough that’s more than just a Cold
When is a cough more than just a cold? When it is Pertussis or “whooping cough”.
Pertussis had been on the rise in Columbus since spring 2010, and the number of reported cases grew to 964 by the end of the year – the most cases in more than 25 years!
CPH disease detectives investigated each reported case and closely tracked the numbers in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health and Franklin County Public Health. CPH also launched a public awareness campaign to promote the pertussis booster vaccine Tdap and to distribute it to residents through local maternity hospitals, school-based clinics, and public events.
Our efforts to protect more people were helped by a new Ohio law last year which made Tdap a new requirement for all 7th grade students. To help residents fulfill this new requirement and to improve vaccine coverage during the 2010 school year, Columbus Public Health provided the booster dose of the Tdap vaccine to 850 7th graders through 50 school-based clinics.