UMATILLA COUNTY — Umatilla County has an outbreak of whooping cough.

“We are aware of eight cases — eight individuals who have tested positive for pertussis in the last 20 days,” Umatilla County Public Health Joe Fiumara said.

He informed the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners of the outbreak at its regular meeting March 3 at the Umatilla County Courthouse. Fiumara said his department is working on the outbreak.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a bacteria-caused respiratory disease. It often leads to serious problems in babies but is typically milder in older children and adults.

The cough worsens after one or two weeks and typically starts to occur in strong fits of coughing that can last six weeks or longer.

Fiumara said one of the health department’s main priorities is protection of babies and infants from pertussis, the population at the highest risk of complications.

According to the Oregon Health Department website, in children, coughing fits are often followed by a whooping sound as they try to catch their breath.

After coughing, infected individuals may vomit, have difficulty catching their breath or become blue in the face from lack of air. The coughing spells may be so severe it is hard for babies to eat, drink or breathe.

When searching for the infected source

Fiumara said when receiving a report, the first step is to try to get in contact with the person who is sick to gather information about where they’ve been, where they’ve traveled and whether they have traveled out of the area.

“Some of these eight cases are related to each other, as in, we believe one passed this to another,” Fiumara said. “However, some of the earliest cases we’re aware of, have not traveled outside of the county and so that tells us that there are some other unidentified cases that may be the source.”

This gets complicated when it gets tied into school systems, he added.

Although Fiumara was unable to disclose whether the eight cases involved adults, teens or children, one case was confirmed at Pendleton High School.

The Pendleton School District on Feb. 24 issued a letter notifying the public of a recent pertussis exposure at Pendleton High School:

“This letter is to inform staff, parents, and students that there was a pertussis exposure in our facility. We want to make sure you are kept up-to-date with important information. By law we must keep the identity of the ill individual(s) confidential. Although the illnesses are of concern, this is not a medical emergency. Umatilla County Health is responding to the situation.”

Fiumara said when appropriate, schools help identify which classrooms students are in, what the seating charts look like and assist in identifying close contacts.

“In the community, as part of the Pendleton High School case, I think we’ve contacted 300 individuals over the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We’ve been identifying some potential exposures and we’ve been notifying them so that families can be watching for symptoms.”

The biggest challenge, Fiumara added, is the initial symptoms are identical to those of the common cold.

According to the Oregon Health Department website, the first symptoms of pertussis include runny nose, sneezing, mild fever and cough, usually appearing five to 21 days after a person is infected.

“What differentiates pertussis from a cold is that about a week later or so, the cough suddenly gets worse,” Fiumara said. “That’s usually when people start seeking care. What we’re trying to do is inform folks with mild symptoms, who may have had possible exposure, that they may not want to wait for testing because this is a bacterial infection.”

Fiumara recommends that anyone experiencing symptoms see their primary care provider, who can test and treat the infection. Antibiotic treatments in the early signs of illness are effective at reducing the duration of symptoms.

In 2012, Oregon experienced a pertussis epidemic with 910 cases reported — the highest number in a single year since 1953. Because pertussis often goes undiagnosed in adolescents and adults, the actual number is likely much higher than the reported figures, according to the Oregon government website.

Umatilla County Public Health recommends people wash their hands, cover their coughs and stay home when feeling sick. If a child has been diagnosed with pertussis or shows symptoms, parents should call county public health at 541-278-6290.