Officials in Washington have said the recent outbreak of whooping cough or pertussis, which is sometimes fatal in infants, could be the worst epidemic in the state since the 1940s. The infectious respiratory condition was once considered eradicated by science but has hit Washington with severity this spring and health officials are worried it could pass the toll from any previous year since the 1940s, before vaccines became common.
No deaths have been reported thus far, but the state has declared a medical epidemic and health officials announced the number of people struck by the illness is staggering. There have been over 1,285 cases through the first few days of May, the most in over 30 years and 10 times the total of last year at this same time.
The recession has hampered the response to the illness outbreak. The economic downturn left local and state health departments weakened by budget cuts that have taken place over the last five years. The area of the state hardest hit is just north of Seattle in Skagit Country. Public health department in that area has half the number of employees it had in 2008 and nearly all the preventive care programs are gone. The county has about 14.6% of his residents without any health insurance coverage.
State officials believe the outbreak is far worse than actual reported cases. Many people with mild cases probably do not even know they have the disease and are not seeking any formal medical treatment. One official said that probably only 20% of those with the disease are being diagnosed.
