Three cases of whooping cough confirmed in Kootenai County schools

School districts confirmed three cases of pertussis in local schools Wednesday.

Letters to parents of students at Ponderosa and NExA elementary schools and Woodland Middle School informed them of the positive cases.

Since April, the number of reported pertussis cases in North Idaho has grown from a few dozen to 166 as of mid-September, and that number is continuing to increase. The number of cases is likely much higher when unreported cases are factored in.

That compares to nine total cases over the past three years — five in 2023, three in 2022 and one in 2021.

"With the reported rates, you know there's a number of cases that are not being reported, especially when you have something that shows as a common cold," Katherine Hoyer, PHD public information officer, said.

While a majority of the cases fall within Kootenai County, health district officials note that all five northern counties, including Bonner and Boundary counties, have seen pertussis cases.

A majority of the cases are being seen in school-age children.

With the region in the middle of a pertussis outbreak, there is help available, Panhandle Health District officials said.

"In general, if you [have pertussis], antibiotics can shorten the time that you're infectious so that you're not spreading it to people as well as potentially reduce how long you are ill," Rebecca Betz, PhD epidemiology manager, said. "Pertussis can last for weeks but the earlier it's treated, there's the potential for shortening the duration that you're coughing and any further complications."

Typically, in its early stages, pertussis is similar to a common cold with a runny nose, low-grade fever and a mild cough. The bacteria "kind of gets in there and starts doing its damage," and, in some cases, the coughing can get so severe it results in vomiting.

Betz said the "whooping" sound is not being heard in many of the cases, but there are reports of difficulty in breathing and periods of apnea, where the individual stops breathing.