PORT TOWNSEND — Dr. Allison Berry, the public health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, said low rates of COVID-19, influenza and RSV activity are signaling a move out of the winter virus season.
Berry presented her monthly update to the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners on Monday.
Public health officials have not seen any avian flu outbreaks in domestic poultry or cattle in Washington state in multiple months, she said.
While sporadic wild bird cases have been observed, that is to be expected, she said.
“On the less positive front, we do continue to see pertussis cases in our community,” Berry said. “We’re up to 14 cases so far in this most recent cluster. The cases have been primarily around school-aged children and their relatives.”
Berry said public health is not tracking any large-scale outbreaks — any particular schools, for example. Cases have been present in family clusters, she added.
“Pertussis classically in the beginning looks like a cold and then turns into a very bad cough that leads to these, kind of, paroxysms of coughing,” Berry said. “In very young children, it tends to lead to coughing and vomiting. In adults, we don’t often see the subsequent vomiting, but we can.”
Pertussis, which can last for months, is treatable with antibiotics, Berry said.
Much of the rise of pertussis is driven by a reduction in vaccinations, she added.
The best place for children to receive their vaccinations is with their primary care doctors, but the public health department can offer vaccinations if they lack a primary doctor, Berry said.
For adults, pharmacies are often faster, she said. Not all pharmacies will vaccinate children, she added.
Berry reported Monday that there were 935 cases of measles in the country across 30 states. Five of those cases have been observed in Washington state, Berry said.
“It continues to spread, primarily starting in the initial Texas outbreak and then spreading beyond that,” Berry said.
Berry discussed a recent comment made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy.
“He did say that the measles vaccine contains fetal cells from an aborted fetus,” Berry said. “It does not have anything like that in it.”
Berry said the rubella component of the vaccine is grown with a cell line that was initially derived from fetal tissue.
“We’re decades separated from that initial event, and none of those cells end up in your vaccine,” she said.
Berry also addressed Kennedy expressing concerns that the measles vaccine might be a cause of autism. She said the topic has received more than 100 studies to look at that possible association.
“It’s just not there,” she said.
Berry said the main driver of the rise in autism diagnoses is improved access to diagnostics and care and a change in the definition of what falls under autism.
“Back in the ’70s, we really only diagnosed profound autism, which is kind of the most severe version of it,” Berry said. “Now we have a much better understanding that autism comes in a spectrum, and that means a lot more people are going to fall under that diagnostic category.”
Berry said increased numbers of autism diagnosis aren’t necessarily corresponding with the actual increased rates, but new cases are largely coming from adults who are receiving a late diagnosis.
Berry also said there is a potential risk, especially for immigrants, associated with the Department of Government Efficiency recently gaining access to people’s Medicaid data.
“What I can say is that, locally, your providers are going to do everything we can to protect you and your data,” she said. “That can include things like requiring things like subpoenas before we would personally share your data. That can also include things like not recording information that is not essential to your medical care. So when I see you for a cold, I don’t need to know your immigration status.”
Those who need healthcare are strongly encouraged to access it, Berry said.
Berry added she will take a few months off from giving public health updates but will return in mid-August.
“I am expecting a baby in the next two weeks,” she said. “And so I’m going to be taking a few months off with that new person.”
The monthly update, which is broadcast on KPTZ radio in Port Townsend, is presented in conjunction with an emergency preparedness update from Willie Bence, director of the department of emergency management. Bence said he will continue to give updates while Berry is away.
________
Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
