Protection against whooping cough comeback, tetanus

SUMMIT COUNTY - Make a difference in your overall health this Saturday, as you make a difference by cleaning up around the county.

Whooping cough has made a comeback in the last few years, according to health officials. And, recently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended an adult Tdap vaccine to protect against it, tetanus and diphtheria.

This Saturday, at the lunch sites for Town Clean Up Day, a Tdap vaccine will be available for $10 to anyone age 19 or older who has not had a tetanus shot in the last two years. The health department is recommending that all adults receive the vaccine, especially those who work with children or with people who have a compromised immune system.

As more people are gardening, sawing or, in general, just being outside, tetanus becomes a concern, said Michelle Wilson, public health nursing manager for the health department in Summit County.

"Most people don't think about tetanus until they need it," she added.

Tetanus is a non-communicable disease contracted when clostridium tetani spores in the environment enter the body through cuts, wounds or other open skin. Commonly adults are vaccinated every seven to 10 years.

Whooping cough is another disease most people don't think about. It is an acute, infectious cough that remains endemic in the United States despite a long-standing childhood vaccine, the health department said. The greatest increase in whooping cough has been in adolescents and adults.

Vaccinating adults can help stop the spread to children or those with compromised immune systems, Wilson said. For an adult, whooping cough can last weeks, lead to multiple days off work and more than 21 nights of disturbed sleep. But for a baby or someone with a compromised immune system it can be much more severe, health officials said.

The health department has about 1,000 vaccines available on Clean Up Day. They will be set up about 11 a.m. with two nurses in each of the towns. Those who are unable to attend, can contact the health department at 668-5230 for information or to schedule an appointment.