Current Community Outbreaks
Pertussis Outbreak
Southwest Idaho is currently experiencing an outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is a very contagious respiratory illness that may begin like the common cold but unlike the common cold, the coughing can last for a few weeks or months. Treating pertussis early with antibiotics may make the infection less serious.
Trends
We are currently seeing a range of individuals getting sick with pertussis. Pertussis does not discriminate by age as we have seen individuals from 1-78 years old get sick, but we are noticing a large percentage of persons sick being school aged children (5-19 years old). We are also seeing that those getting sick are unimmunized or under immunized.
How to prevent
The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated!
What to look out for
Symptoms of pertussis:
Early Symptoms (1-2 weeks)
- runny or stuffy nose
- low grade fever
- mild, occasional cough
- babies may struggle to breath
Later Symptoms (2 weeks after symptoms start)
Coughing fits which may cause people to
- Make a high-pitched “whoop”
- Vomit during or after coughing fits
- Feel very tired after the fit
- Have difficulty sleeping at night
- Struggle to breathe
- Fracture a rib
What to do if you are sick or around someone who is sick
Seek medical care for testing and treatment if you or someone in your home is sick with what may be pertussis. Antibiotics are given as treatment for those sick and can be given to others in the home that have been exposed to prevent them from getting sick.
People can be contagious for weeks starting when symptoms begin for at least 2 weeks after the onset of cough. We recommend practicing good cough and hand hygiene to prevent the spread of pertussis to others.
People who have had whooping cough do have some immunity for future infections, but it does not provide lifelong protection.
Reportable Diseases
The epidemiologists at Southwest District Health investigate reportable diseases and implements measures to prevent the spread of diseases. Healthcare providers, labs, and hospitals report communicable diseases via a dedicated, confidential reporting line.
Hot topics in SW Idaho
Summer season brings an increase in mosquito and tick activity in Idaho. This increase in activity also brings an increase in vector-borne disease transmission. Common symptoms of arboviral diseases include fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and lethargy. In cases of severe arboviral infections, neurological symptoms of encephalitis, seizures, coma and paralysis can occur.
If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms talk with your doctor about testing.
To help prevent exposures to arboviral diseases from mosquito and tick bites, use insect repellents with DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), Para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone. For more information about which insect repellent may be right for you, check out the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) site on repellents: https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents
Other prevention methods include wearing long pants and shirts that are pre-treated with permethrin. Do not use permethrin products directly on your skin.
Always check yourself and pets for ticks after being outdoors, especially under arms, in and around ears, inside belly button, back of the knees, in and around the hair, between legs and around the waist. Showering within two hour of being outside also helps wash off unattached ticks. See more information on tick bites at https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html.
Lastly, take steps at home by using screens on doors and windows, repairing any holes, and turning over any items that may have standing water (i.e. tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots or trash containers). Check these weekly!
Tick and mosquito
- Tick Bite: What To Do
- How To Protect Against Mosquito Bites
- How To Protect Against Mosquito Bites (Spanish/Espanol)
For information on West Nile Virus visit the following:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/westnile
- Idaho West Nile virus information and surveillance summary at http://www.westnile.idaho.gov/
- Canyon County Mosquito Abatement District at https://canyoncountymosquito.com/
Links for more information
Visit the following links to check out:
What We Do
There are over 70 reportable diseases and conditions in Idaho. When one of these conditions is reported, Southwest District Health (SWDH) Epidemiologists (Epis) will investigate the illness and work to establish the source of the infection, determine whether others have been exposed, and if an outbreak has occurred. Epis may make recommendations to restrict people from daycare, school, or work while they are infectious to prevent further spread. Epis sometimes make recommendations for those who have been exposed to an infectious disease to receive an immunization, test, or treatment to prevent them from becoming ill. SWDH Epis also offer case management for active tuberculosis (TB) which includes a way to help clients to take their TB medications called Directly Observed Therapy or DOT.
If you need to get in touch with an Epi, please call 208-455-5442.
Health Professionals
Idaho Reportable Diseases
In Idaho, licensed physicians, hospital or health care facility administrators, laboratory directors, physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners, registered nurses, school health nurses, infection surveillance staff, public health officials and coroners are required to report all reportable diseases and conditions.
School administrators must report the closure of any public, parochial, charter, or private school within one (1) working day when, in his or her opinion, such a closing is related to communicable disease.
To report a communicable disease or condition to Southwest District Health Communicable Disease / Epidemiology Program:
- Call SWDH Epi Confidential Phone Reporting Line: 208-455-5442
- Fax SWDH Epi Confidential Fax Reporting Line: 208-455-5350
- E-mail SWDH to talk to an Epi swdh.epi@swdh.id.gov
*Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI) via email.
- SWDH – Reportable Disease Reporting Form
- Idaho Reportable Disease List
- Extended GC Questionnaire for Providers (fillable PDF)
- Southwest District Health Info Card (English)
- Southwest District Health Info Card (Spanish)
- Tuberculosis
- Idaho Health Alert Network (HAN)
- The Idaho HAN system is an automated system designed to rapidly deliver time-critical, health-related information to designated health partners.
- Idaho Health Alert Network Welcome Page
- HAN registration: https://health.dhw.idaho.gov/IDHAN/Form/User/register_user.aspx
HIPAA and Public Health
In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the privacy rule expressly permits protected health information (PHI) to be shared for specified public health purposes. For example, covered entities (providers, nurses, health facilities, labs, etc.) may disclose PHI, without individual authorization to a public health authority legally authorized to collect or receive the information for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. See 45 CFR 164.512(b)((1)(i).