WARNING: Dangerous, Highly Contagious Illness Spreading Quickly Across Idaho

It’s absolutely wild to think that just four years ago, medical experts were recommending that Idaho families limit their Christmas dinner to only people living in the household or making the Christmas gathering an outdoor event.  

NBC News reported that December 2020 was the deadliest month of the first year COVID-19 pandemic with over 77,124 deaths across America. Due to the super contagious nature of the virus, some experts predicted an explosion in cases following the holidays. 

READ MORE: 13 Popular Foods Sold in State of Idaho May Be Linked to Cancer

Flashforward to 2024 and there’s an outbreak of a different, highly contagious and serious respiratory disease affecting Idaho. As Christmas break approached, the Boise School District sent an email to parents informing them of a widespread outbreak of pertussis. 

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If you take a quick look at the CDC’s surveillance and trends through December 14, it doesn’t take long to see that they’re correct. The CDC shows 910 cases so far this year. At the same point in 2023, there were only 27 cases reported. That’s a year over year increase of nearly 34 times. Of all the states in their mountain region (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming,) Idaho has reported the most cases this year. Arizona is second with 735, followed by Colorado at 627. 

What Is Pertussis?

Better known as “whooping cough,” the CDC explains that it’s a bacterial respiratory disease in which the bacteria releases poisons that damage the lining of the upper respiratory system. This leads to swelling. Like that other respiratory disease that consumed our lives for years, this one is also spread easily through air when someone coughs or sneezes. Those with whooping cough can be contagious for up to two weeks. It can take anywhere between 5-10 days and three weeks after exposure for symptoms to develop

What Are the Symptoms of Pertussis?

According to the CDC, early signs of the illness may present itself like a common cold with the sick person exhibiting a runny or stuffed-up nose, low-grade fever and an occasional, but not extremely violent cough. However, within one to two weeks symptoms progress to: 

• Violent coughing fits
• Vomiting during or after a coughing fit
• Feeling exhausted following a coughing fit
• Difficulty breathing
• Disrupted sleep 
• Fracturing a rib during a coughing fit

It’s at that point where you should absolutely seek medical care if you haven’t already. The illness is most dangerous for babies under 12 months, as many develop dangerous pauses between breaths or pneumonia. 

The coughing fits can hang around and get worse for anywhere from one to 10 weeks. Recovery can last two to three weeks, during which you may be more vulnerable to other respiratory infections. 

How is Pertussis Treated?

This may sound familiar from early in the Boise State football season when our first home game was in jeopardy because of an outbreak within the Portland State football program. Since it’s a bacterial infection, antibiotics are the go to. If taken before coughing fits begin, they can help lessen how serious symptoms become and reduce the amount of time that you’re contagious. However those are only helpful if you take them within the first three weeks. 

If you know you’ve been around someone who has whooping cough, you can ask your doctor about preventive antibiotics. Those who were exposed to the bacteria at Portland State were put through a five-day regimen before being allowed to travel to Boise. 

Those who have gotten DTaP or Tdap vaccines are at lower risk and may have less severe symptoms if they come in contact with the bacteria.