Nunavut health officials report whooping cough in Cape Dorset

Nunavut health officials urge all Cape Dorset residents to contact their health centre to find out if their whooping cough vaccinations are up to date. (FILE PHOTO)

One confirmed and two probable cases of whooping cough have turned up in Cape Dorset, the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Health said Aug. 16.

So to protect themselves from the nasty bacterial infection that causes whooping cough, the GN advises that all residents of Cape Dorset contact their local health centre to find out if their vaccinations are up to date.

“The best way to protect yourself from whooping cough is to ensure everyone in your household is vaccinated,” the GN said in a public service announcement.

This news comes about five days after Dr. Kim Barker, the GN’s chief medical officer of health, told Nunatsiaq News that health officials may have turned the tide against the recent outbreak of whooping cough in the Qikiqtani region.

At the time, the GN estimated about 70 cases in the region.

About half of those cases, 36, were reported in Hall Beach, the worst-hit community in the region.

The other whooping cough cases were located in Iqaluit, with 29 cases, and Pond Inlet, with six cases.

Health officials say early diagnosis and treatment of the infection, which affects young infants most severely, is important.

Symptoms of whooping cough include:

• a cough followed by a sharp breath that can sound like a “whoop”;

• breathing problems;

• vomiting after coughing; and,

• a fever of over 39 C for three days straight.

If any of these symptoms are present, especially in young children, you should go to your local health centre, where free vaccines are available, health officials said.