Cover your cough – especially around young babies

MEDIA RELEASE 20 May 2009

Cover your cough – especially around young babies

A steady rise in whooping cough cases serves as a timely reminder to cover your cough this winter to help reduce the risks of this infection.

There have been 41 cases of whooping cough in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts so far this year, compared to 18 for the whole of 2008. It’s likely that cases will increase over the winter.

“Whooping cough is highly infectious so covering your cough will help avoid spread,” says Toi Te Ora – Public Health, Medical Officer of Health, Dr Jim Miller. “Remember to cough or sneeze into a tissue, dispose of it as soon as possible, and wash your hands regularly.”

He urges people to see their doctor if they have a cough that is severe or has been hanging around for more than a week.

“Because young babies are most at risk it’s important for parents to keep them away from anyone with a cough, as adults and older children are quite often the source of infection. It’s also important to get them vaccinated against whooping cough, on time,” he says.

Whooping cough symptoms start with a runny nose and dry cough. Coughing gets worse over the next few weeks developing into attacks of coughing. The ‘whoop’ sound occurs as infants draw a breath after a long coughing attack. Infants might go blue or stop breathing during coughing attacks.

If parents or caregivers have any questions about whooping cough they can call the Immunisation Advisory Centre on 0800 IMMUNE (466 863) or visit www.immune.org.nz.

ENDS

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