By Jake BOWMAN

Los Angeles County has recently been hit with outbreaks of both pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, and the measles virus. Outbreak is a very serious term and can be scary, and according to Dr. Armand Dorian, chief medical officer of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, that’s exactly what this is.

“An outbreak is when something is present that was not present normally,” Dr. Dorian said.

He goes on to clarify that the flu is expected yearly and so we don’t normally classify flu cases as an outbreak. An outbreak can be one case or more than one case, depending on what disease is being dealt with.

Though the number of confirmed whooping cough cases in unknown, there have only been five reported measles cases in LA County, according to a press release by the LA County Department of Public Health. Generally measles is kept at bay due to herd immunity, which is when a population is resistant to the spread of disease, often through vaccinations. There is always a risk of exposure, however, due to foregin travel, especially to areas where vaccinations are less prevalent. The current measles cases in LA County have all come from foreign travel.

Whooping cough is a bit harder to defend against due to changes in the vaccine that many may not be aware of.

“The current whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is given as part of the TdaP vaccination, typically given around age 10-11 years old,” said Dr. John Rodarte, general pediatrician with Descanso Pediatrics in La Canada and former Chairman of Pediatrics at Huntington Hospital. “The pertussis part of the vaccine was changed a number of years ago to an acellular vaccine (thus the ‘aP’), which causes fewer side effects. Unfortunately, the length of protection for acellular pertussis vaccine also lessened to approximately five years, thus leaving the high school population [and those older] more susceptible to catching it if exposed.” 

In other words, the vaccine was changed to lessen side effects but the length of effectiveness of the vaccine was also lessened, so the older a person gets, the more at- risk of infection they are. In either case, there are steps the public can take to halt the spread of disease. One of the easiest and best ways to combat these issues is to maintain personal hygiene.

“Wash your hands” said Dr. Dorian.

We are always interacting with each other and the increase in technology has only made sharing germs easier, Dorian said, so washing your hands and not waiting to go see a doctor if you feel sick are some of the best ways to stay safe and healthy.

“Outbreaks like this remind us that the best way to stay healthy and keep from catching infectious diseases such as these is to keep your vaccinations up to date, in addition to taking care of your body by eating a healthy diet and getting appropriate rest,” said Dr. Rodarte.

Young people, old people and those with immunodeficiency, such as cancer patients going through chemo, are the most at risk from disease. Taking simple steps every day can help to decrease their chances of infection.

For more information visit PublicHealth.LACounty.gov and CDC.gov.

  Jake BOWMAN