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Health officer warns of pertussis clusters and rising sleep-related infant deaths; district offers vaccinations and outreach
Summary
Kitsap Public Health District reported recent pertussis clusters in the county, announced two no-cost childhood vaccination clinics, summarized community outreach at Project Connect, and flagged a national rise in sleep-related infant deaths that the district will review with its child fatality committee.
Kitsap Public Health District Health Officer Dr. Gib Morrow told the board that pertussis (whooping cough) cases have clustered in the south part of Kitsap County among school-age children and sports teams and that the district is coordinating case identification, screening, prophylactic treatment for household contacts, and vaccination outreach.
Dr. Morrow said the district saw a drop in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus activity before experiencing a significant uptick in late January; at the time of the meeting, about 5 percent of emergency-department visits were attributable to influenza or RSV. He reported roughly two dozen confirmed pertussis cases this fall and winter, noted those confirmed cases likely represent only a fraction of infections, and described the disease as highly contagious with significant risk for newborns and infants. The district is working with providers, school nurses, sports-team organizers, families, and community partners to reduce transmission and promote vaccination.
Kitsap Public Health District announced two no-cost vaccination clinics for children in February: one described in the meeting as occurring “tomorrow” and another scheduled for Thursday, February 20. The district’s website and clinic page were cited as the place to learn more and book appointments.
Dr. Morrow also described the district’s participation in Project Connect events in Silverdale, Port Orchard and Bremerton, where staff offered rapid STI testing, vaccinations, and navigation to maternal and infant care services. He thanked communicable disease and parent–child health teams for their work at those sites.
On infant safe sleep, Dr. Morrow highlighted recent national data published in JAMA Pediatrics showing a 12 percent national increase in sleep-related sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID/SIDS) from 2020 to 2022 and persistent racial disparities (higher rates among Black, Native American and Pacific Islander infants). He said Kitsap Public Health District will review local sleep-related infant deaths through its multidisciplinary child fatality committee next month and reiterated evidence-based safe-sleep guidance: place infants on their backs, use firm flat mattresses in approved cribs, remove pillows/blankets/toys from the sleep surface, and avoid substance use during pregnancy and around infants.
Dr. Morrow noted a recent perinatal learning collaborative event featuring Dr. Vania Rudolph on whole-person care for birthing people with substance-use disorders; a recording of the presentation is available on the district website. The health officer concluded by reminding the public that vaccination remains an effective prevention tool for many respiratory illnesses.
No formal board action was taken on these public-health updates; the remarks were provided as informational and for board situational awareness.
