Eastbayri.com

BARRINGTON — A spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Health said the whooping cough outbreak in Barrington appears to be on the decline.

Peter Hanney, interim public information officer for the health department, said Thursday that Barrington has not had a new case of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — reported since Tuesday, Jan. 24. He added that there are currently 28 confirmed cases in town, 25 of which involve children in the local public schools.

“It seems to have leveled off,” Mr. Hanney said. “I think a big part of that is because of the clinic.”

A local pediatrician first contacted the Rhode Island Department of Health on Dec. 22, 2011 after diagnosing a local child with the illness, although another doctor in town said the first case was actually recognized by a school nurse prior to Thanksgiving.

By Jan. 9, a total of eight students at Barrington Middle School and Hampden Meadows had been diagnosed with whooping cough and state officials said they were anticipating even more cases in the near future.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, officials said a female student at the high school had been diagnosed with whooping cough, and a few days later the health department issued a press release stating that there were 16 confirmed cases in town.

In an effort to stem the spread of the highly-contagious disease, officials from the health department worked with Barrington school administrators and held two whooping cough vaccination clinics at the high school on Jan. 12 and 13.

Mr. Hanney said 1,088 people received the pertussis vaccination during the two-day clinic, while 146 also received a flu vaccination. Mr. Hanney said the state has also been offering municipalities more opportunities to hold additional whooping cough vaccination clinics. He said Barrington officials passed on the offer.

The disease has recently surfaced in a few other Rhode Island communities, including Middletown, but Mr. Hanney said only Barrington has experienced an outbreak of the disease this year.

“It’s not considered an outbreak unless the cases are connected,” he said.

Prevention

“Vaccination is the best prevention against pertussis,” said Director of Health Michael Fine, MD in a recent press release. “We are continuing to work with the healthcare providers and Barrington community to prevent the further spread of pertussis.

“In general, a pertussis outbreak will slow down and eventually stop once immunity, either through vaccination or infection, has been established in the community. Our work focuses on increasing vaccination rates, particularly in adults and adolescents, and preventing transmission to vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, infants, and those with weakened immune systems.”

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a bacterial infection of the lungs. People with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of pertussis should stay out of work, school, or childcare until they have been on antibiotics for at least five days.

Anyone who was unable to get vaccinated at the clinic and needs to be vaccinated should contact his or her healthcare provider.

For more information about pertussis visit www.health.ri.gov.