Top in ID: Pertussis outbreak in Kentucky; second confirmed human case of bird flu

The health department in Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky, has declared a pertussis outbreak after several cases were confirmed in the last few weeks.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, began spreading through schools in the county in late April. County health officials have recommended preventive antibiotics for high-risk students who were exposed to pertussis.

“Any school-age children with symptoms of pertussis should stay home from school and visit their health care provider for evaluation, even if they have previously been vaccinated,” the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department said in a statement. “If found to have probably or confirmed pertussis, they should remain out of school until completion of their antibiotics.”

It was the top story in infectious disease last week.

Another top story was about a second confirmed human case of influenza A(H5N1) — also known as “bird flu” — which was identified in a dairy worker in Michigan.

“Given the high levels of A(H5N1) virus in raw milk from infected cows, and the extent of the spread of this virus in dairy cows, similar additional human cases could be identified,” the CDC said. “Sporadic human infections with no ongoing spread will not change the CDC risk assessment for the U.S., which CDC considers to be low.”

Read these and more top stories in infectious diseases below:

Kentucky county declares pertussis outbreak

A county in Kentucky has declared a pertussis outbreak following the confirmation of nine cases since late April. Read more.

Michigan dairy worker is second human bird flu case linked to cows

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