Health department reports rare illnesses diagnosed in county

Four Whitman County residents came down with rare, communicable diseases within the past two weeks.

County health officials dedicated a large amount of staff time tracing possible sources and contacting anyone who might have come in contact with the patients.

Health Department Director Fran Martin said the four people are now back home and no one with whom they have come in contact has shown symptoms.

None of the four cases are linked. Martin said they have not found the source of any of the illnesses.

Whooping cough, Nicerian pneumonia (a rare strain of pneumonia), salmonella and E. Coli were all reported from doctor’s offices in the county.

The county health department has a list of communicable diseases, diseases that are infectious and could greatly impact public health. All medical staff are mandated to report them. Lab reports sent to the public health office confirmed these four cases.

County Environmental Health

Director Michael Baker worked on the case of E. Coli, contracted by a 16-year-old female. She was hospitalized for nine days and is now in better condition, Baker told county commissioners at the public health meeting Monday.

Both E. Coli and salmonella are contracted from animal or human feces in food sources. Salmonella in particular can be contracted from eggs and chickens.

The crowded conditions in WSU dorms and classrooms saw the case of Nicerian pneumonia in a 19-year-old male.

Martin would not release the location of the other cases.

She noted whooping cough is carried in the throat by many people. A 16-year-old male came down with whooping cough, also called pertussis.

County Doctor Tim Moody said several outbreaks of whooping cough have been reported in the western part of the state and northern Idaho.

"Our bigger worry is whooping cough," he said. Children these days are given several vaccinations against it by the age of five, and Moody said adults are encouraged to get the adult vaccine.

"It was inevitable that we’ll start seeing it around here," he said.

Moody too said the four local cases were sporadic.

"They don’t appear to be related to any wider outbreaks. There don’t appear to be any secondary cases," he said.