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Whooping Cough Disguised as Common Cold Can Be Deadly
- 1. TV LISTINGS The Lima News Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Lifestyle/Special Sections Editor Adrienne McGee 419 whooping cough Disease disguised as common cold can be deadly By HANNAH POTURALSKI• hpoturalski@limanews.com • 4419-993-2091 L IMA— Imagine every time ordered and showed pertussis. department to make sure we you started to speak, you Becky Dershem, director of contacted everyone that could Symptoms of were overcome with a fit of nursing at Allen County Health have been exposed to it.” coughing. Department, said whooping Dershem said children and pertussis That’s what John Merricle, cough is extremely contagious. adults can tolerate the symp- 55, of Lima, has been feeling for Hospitals are required to report toms, but whooping cough is • Runny nose the past two months. He has this disease to the health lethal for babies. or congestion the latest confirmed case of per- department when it is found so Dr. Scott Stienecker, presi- • Sneezing tussis, commonly known as health officials can determine dent of Infectious Diseases • Mild cough whooping cough. how to best handle the poten- Society of Ohio, said he’s wit- • Fever Pertussis is a respiratory dis- tial health threat. nessed two children die from ease caused by bacteria that can “People think because the dis- whooping cough. • After 1 to 2 weeks, severe coughing often be confused with the com- ease isn’t seen on an everyday “It’s a killer disease that begins mon cold. Symptoms include a basis that it’s gone, but it’s won’t disappear,” Stienecker runny nose, sneezing, fever and alive and well,” Dershem said. said. “Those deaths were the Best way to severe coughing that usually “The reason it’s not seen a lot is most awful thing I’ve seen. leads to gasping for breath, because people get immuniza- They were babies that weren’t prevent pertussis: which creates a “whooping” tions.” vaccinated, and their deaths • In children: five sound. But when someone has Three days after John Merri- were 100 percent preventable.” doses of DTaP pertussis, symptoms linger for cle’s visit to St. Rita’s, he was According to the Centers for vaccination, at ages 2 weeks or months. notified by the hospital and the Disease Control Web site, it’s months, 4 months, 6 Sherry Merricle said her hus- health department that he had recommended that infants and months, 15 to 18 band has felt symptoms of terri- pertussis. The Merricles were children receive five doses of months and 4 to 6 ble coughing, vomiting and a quarantined to their house the diphtheria and tetanus tox- years stuffy nose since April. She said between June 18 to 22 and put oids and acellular pertussis vac- • In adults: 1 booster her husband saw his doctor at on antibiotics. John Merricle’s cine — commonly abbreviated shot of Tdap vaccina- least six times since then and co-workers at Allen Metropoli- to DTaP The vaccines are rec- . tion, once between had an appointment set for tan Housing Authority were ommended at ages of 2 months, the ages of 12 to 65 June 15. also quarantined for five days 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 “He looked really bad that on antibiotics in case they were months and 4 to 6 years. For details on whoop- day so we went to the emer- infected. Quarantine in cases Stienecker said waning im- ing cough or how to gency room at St. Rita’s Med- like this is routine, Dershem munity occurs as the person get vaccinated, visit ical Center,” Sherry Merricle said. ages and he recommends those www.cdc.gov and said. “The doctor said he had a “We had to close the mainte- between the ages of 12 and 65 www.allencounty- healthdepartment.org. stomach flu. I had to persist nance department for a couple get a booster vaccine called them to test for whooping days and contract out work,” Tdap. cough, because our daughter, said Cindy Ring, executive John Merricle hadn’t been who lives in Michigan, had it in director at Allen Metropolitan vaccinated since his initial April.” Housing Authority. “We did lots In the end the test was of checking with the health See COUGH • C2
- 2. COUGH • from C1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– series as a toddler. He plans person with whooping there have been other out- each other.” on getting vaccinated as cough in Lima this year. breaks in the region since In the majority of pertus- soon as he feels better, as The first was of a child in the beginning of the year,” sis cases, sources said, the will his wife. April. Dershem said. “This shows common thread is people Merricle was the second “This is alarming because why it’s important to con- not being vaccinated. tinue getting vaccinated.” There is a lot of worry by DOLLAR EASTGATE Karen Smalley, infection parents that vaccinations MOVIES $1.75 419-228-FILM $1.00 50¢ CARPET CLEANING control nurse at Mercer Health, said Mercer will have adverse effects on 2499 more AFTER 6 PM ALL OTHER TIMES ALL SHOWS MON & TUES $ 3 or their children, including MONSTERS VS. ALIENS 1:00 4:00 7:00 9:10 PG County has seen five cases OBSESSED 1:45 4:45 7:45 10:00 PG13 each of pertussis so far this year. susceptibility to autism. area X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE 1:30 4:30 7:30 9:50 PG13 All five were in the months But Dershem said there HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE 1:15 4:15 7:15 9:40 G FREE KID SHOW ON WED 10:00AM www.TEICHERTHEATERS.ORG STAR CARPET 331-7827 of January and February. “They were outpatient have been 16 studiesshow- ing no correlation between cases, so they tested posi- vaccinations and autism. tive but weren’t sick enough to be hospitalized,” You can comment Smalley said. “A couple of on this story at the cases were related to www.limaohio.com. Adv. Tix on Sale BRUNO Adv. Tix on Sale PUBLIC ENEMIES