Officials at the Missoula City County Health Department are breathing a sigh of relief, as the numbers of confirmed cases of pertussis are slowing dramatically.
As the Missoula City County Health Department continues to battle the pertussis outbreak in the county, officials say as of Tuesday that 975 tests have been submitted and 103 are positive for a 10.5 percent positivity rate.
As the numbers mount for victims of Missoula’s community-wide pertussis outbreak, MCPS Superintendent Mark Thane said on Friday at less than one percent of all students in the district have been affected by the disease.
More cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have been confirmed in Missoula, enough for the Director of the Missoula County Health Department Ellen Leahy to confirm what she termed ‘a community wide outbreak’.
The outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough in Missoula has now doubled from seven to 14 according to Ellen Leahy, Director of the Missoula City County Health Department.
On the second Saturday of every month, the Missoula Rural Fire Department holds a child safety seat installation clinic to help parents and grandparents to properly and safely install their child car seats.
The Missoula City County Health Department has already reported a number of cases of the flu, according to Infectious Disease Specialist Bradley Applegate.