Politics & Government
City's Health Department Continues Close Eye On Whooping Cough Outbreak
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, continues to be an issue in Greenfield and throughout the state.
The city's chief health official indicated Thursday that the continues to keep a close eye on pertussis, which has swept through the state and the area at a pace not seen in eight years.
The city has had 40 confirmed cases of whooping cough in 2012, Darren Rausch, the city's health director, reported to the Board of Health on Thursday. Last year the city had four cases after having six in 2010 and four in 2009.
The amount of pertussis in Greenfield mirrors the recent outbreak throughout the state. A total of 2,815 cases have been reported this year in Wisconsin. The state is on pace to match the outbreak in 2004 when 5,600 cases were reported.
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"There is still disease out there, it has just shifted from the school setting to the camp setting which causes a whole host of other issues," said Rausch, who noted the city has had very few cases since school let out in June.
"We are still not at the levels we were at in 2004, which is a little bit of good news," Rausch said referring to the city.