141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Pertussis in the portland metro-area in 2012


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Laura Reynolds, RN, BSN, MPH, Communicable Disease Services, Multnomah County Health Department, Portland, OR
Amy Sullivan, PhD, MPH, Communicable Disease Services, Multnomah County Health Department, Portland, OR
Juventila Liko, MD, MPH, Oregon Health Authority, Immunization Program, Portland, OR
Background: During 2012, 776 cases of pertussis were reported in the Portland metro-area, the highest rates of pertussis since 1949. Due to the number of cases, we developed different techniques to increase community awareness. Methods: We reviewed case report forms and interviews conducted by public health nurses. Results: Using the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' definition, we had 638 confirmed and probable pertussis cases. Infants had the highest rate (36.6/10,000) followed by 10-14 year olds (18.8/10,000). The median age was 10 (16 days-85 years old) and 23% were Hispanic. Symptoms included cough (100%), paroxysms (95%), posttussive vomiting (52%) and whoop (45%). The median duration of cough was 58 days (2-239 days). Seventeen cases were hospitalized and of those 71% were infants. Eighty-nine percent of cases were PCR positive and 14% were Culture positive. Also, 348 cases identified the setting in which they acquired pertussis—home (44%), school (39%), daycare (3%), place of worship (3%), work (2%) and other (9%). A total of 57% were fully vaccinated, 14% were under-vaccinated and 29% were un-vaccinated. Conclusions: During 2012, the Portland metro-area had an increase of pertussis cases. To inform the community we developed flyers, information for county websites, a television news feature and provider newsletters. Because of the high rate in 10-14 year olds, we also made a “back to school” packet for parents containing information about signs and symptoms, testing and vaccinations. ons.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the 2012 pertussis cases in the Portland Metro-area Explain the symptom profile and the distribution among age groups List methods used to increase pertussis awareness in the community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the primary investigator for the Metropolitan Area Pertussis Surveillance (MAPS) program. I lead all aspects of the investigations and play a key role is assuring data quality and reporting of cases.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5005.0: Infectious Disease Epidemiology 2 (Poster Session)