(C) South Dakota Searchlight
This story was originally published by South Dakota Searchlight and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
SD reports child pertussis death, encourages vaccination and other precautions • South Dakota Searchlight [1]
['South Dakota Searchlight Staff', 'Makenzie Huber', 'Jennifer Shutt', 'More From Author', '- January', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar']
Date: 2025-01
The South Dakota Department of Health reported the death Friday of a child due to a co-infection of pertussis and influenza, the state’s first child pertussis death since 2023.
“I, along with everyone at the Department of Health, extend our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family during this unimaginable loss,” said Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt in a news release.
The release did not divulge any further details about the child.
South Dakota is experiencing pertussis cases (aka whooping cough) in multiple communities and influenza activity statewide, the department said, adding that the pertussis component of DTaP and Tdap vaccines and the influenza vaccine are the best protection against infection. Protection is highest among those fully vaccinated, but that protection decreases over time.
The department encourages South Dakotans to take the following steps to avoid becoming sick or spreading disease:
Avoid close contact with sick people.
If sick, limit contact with others.
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Pertussis is spread from person to person when breathing in respiratory particles from an infected person. The respiratory particles are spread when a person with pertussis sneezes or coughs.
It usually takes seven to 10 days after exposure to develop symptoms. Early symptoms resemble the common cold with runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough, which are more severe at night. Later symptoms (within two weeks) include numerous rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched whoop, and mucus discharge or vomiting following a coughing episode.
Antibiotics are effective at stopping a person who is sick from spreading pertussis. Five days of treatment is needed to stop the bacteria from spreading, even though the person may continue to cough. Without antibiotics, a person can spread the pertussis bacteria for 21 days.
For more information on pertussis, visit the Department of Health website.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/sd-reports-child-pertussis-death-encourages-vaccination-and-other-precautions/
Published and (C) by South Dakota Searchlight
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/sdsearchlight/
