Whooping cough vaccine drive expands
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, November 14, 2016
NUNAVUT
The government is moving to immunize all Grade 6 to 9 students to stem a whooping cough outbreak that began earlier this year and slowly spread through many communities.
"To help control Nunavut's whooping cough outbreak, the Department of Health has moved the scheduled pertussis (Tdap) immunization to Grade 6," the department stated in a news release.
"In order to ensure that all Grade 6 to 9 students in the territory are caught up with this change, public health and health centres will focus on immunizing all Grade 6 to 9 students over the next five weeks, before the holiday break."
Nunavut's chief medical officer of health Kim Barker had previously told Nunavut News/North that infants should be vaccinated at two months, four months, six months and 18 months of age, again between the ages of four and six, then again in Grade 9.
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough for the "whooping" sound made by those who have the illness, first showed up in May, when the department issued an advisory stating one case had been confirmed.
Parents of babies and young children were told they should be especially wary, because whooping cough is a disease of the throat and lungs that is spread very easily from person to person and babies have small, fragile lungs. It can be deadly for infants.
As of Aug. 11, the department reported 29 confirmed cases in Iqaluit, 36 in Hall Beach and six in Pond Inlet, for a total of 71. Also, at least 1000 people had been immunized to stem the outbreak.
But on Nov. 10, the department stated "Nunavut has experienced the largest whooping cough outbreak on record and affected many communities in the Qikiqtaaluk and Kivalliq regions."
"Nunavummiut, we need your help to stop the pertussis outbreak and protect your community. If your health centre asks you to complete an immunization consent form or to come in for a vaccine, please do so as soon as you can," stated the department.
Barker has also said if more than 90 per cent of the population is vaccinated for whooping cough, the disease is not seen as often.
