It manifests as prolonged bouts of coughing, often accompanied by a distinctive whooping sound when a person inhales.
Typical symptoms resemble a common cold and include fatigue, runny nose, sore throat or sneezing.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It manifests as prolonged bouts of coughing, often accompanied by a distinctive whooping sound when a person inhales. Typical symptoms resemble a common cold and include fatigue, runny nose, sore throat or sneezing.
. The county's Department of Health and Human Services has investigated 113 cases of Pertussis from mid-December to today. Most of the cases are clustered in the South Marin area, including an outbreak at Tamalpais High School with (more than) 65 cases identified.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Symptoms can start like a common cold with fatigue, a low-grade fever, runny nose, sore throat or sneezing. Then infected people develop a severe cough that can last for weeks or months.
Accuracy
Whooping cough cases have surged in Marin County.
The majority of the cases are linked to Tamalpais High School.
Pertussis is often mild with only coldlike symptoms in teens and adults who have been vaccinated.
Deception
(50%)
The article is misleading in several ways. Firstly, it states that the majority of cases are linked to Tamalpais High School when only 65 out of the total 113 cases were reported there. Secondly, it implies that whooping cough can be highly dangerous for infants when no deaths or hospitalizations associated with the outbreak have been reported. Thirdly, it suggests that anyone considered a close contact of an infected person should take antibiotics to prevent illness which is not accurate as antibiotics only provide effective treatment after symptoms appear and do not stop transmission. Lastly, the article implies that lack of vaccination was the cause of the Marin outbreak when in fact, according to Dr. Matt Willis, public health officer for Marin County, it wasn't.
Whooping cough can be highly dangerous for infants
The majority of cases are linked to Tamalpais High School
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article reports a whooping cough outbreak at Tamalpais High School in Marin County. The majority of the cases are linked to the school and pertussis is often mild with only coldlike symptoms in teens and adults, especially those who have been vaccinated. However, severe cases can result in an annoyingly nagging cough and whooping cough can be highly dangerous for infants. Dr Matt Willis, Marin County's public health officer states that the main concern is that unvaccinated infants can die from pertussis. The article also mentions that California has seen surges in 2010, 2014 and to a lesser degree in 2018 and 2019 due to cyclical peaks of whooping cough every three to five years. However, the current Marin outbreak could spread to other parts of the Bay Area and state as it is centered in southern Marin.
California has seen surges in 2010, 2014 and to a lesser degree in 2018 and 2019 due to cyclical peaks of whooping cough every three to five years
Dr Matt Willis states that the main concern is that unvaccinated infants can die from pertussis
The majority of cases are linked to Tamalpais High School
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Amy Graff has a conflict of interest on the topic of whooping cough and pertussis as she is reporting on an outbreak at Tamalpais High School in Marin County. She also reports on Dr. Paul Katz and Lindsey Termini, both of whom have ties to vaccination efforts.
Amy Graff writes:
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of whooping cough and pertussis as they are reporting on an outbreak at Tamalpais High School in Marin County. The article mentions that Dr. Paul Katz is a member of the Marin County Public Health Department and Lindsey Termini, who was interviewed for the article, works for Kaiser Permanente which has financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that produce vaccines.
Dr. Paul Katz is a member of the Marin County Public Health Department
Lindsey Termini works for Kaiser Permanente which has financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that produce vaccines
. The county's Department of Health and Human Services has investigated 113 cases of Pertussis from mid-December to today. Most of the cases are clustered in the South Marin area, including an outbreak at Tamalpais High School with (more than) 65 cases identified.
Pertussis typically surges every 3-5 years. The last surge in Marin County was in 2018, with over 300 cases in the community identified.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Marin County has investigated 113 cases of Pertussis from mid-December to today when they only mention investigating 77 cases and then later say an additional 36 have been found. This creates a false sense of urgency and implies that there is more information available than what was actually provided in the article. Secondly, the author states that Pertussis typically surges every 3-5 years but fails to mention any other factors such as vaccination rates or public health initiatives which could contribute to this surge. This creates a false impression of inevitability and ignores potential solutions for preventing future outbreaks.
The author states that Pertussis typically surges every 3-5 years but fails to mention any other factors such as vaccination rates or public health initiatives which could contribute to this surge. This creates a false impression of inevitability and ignores potential solutions for preventing future outbreaks.
The author claims that Marin County has investigated 113 cases of Pertussis from mid-December to today when they only mention investigating 77 cases and then later say an additional 36 have been found. This creates a false sense of urgency and implies that there is more information available than what was actually provided in the article.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when they quote Dr. Matt Willis and Senior Public Health Nurse Lindsey Termini without providing any context or information about their qualifications or expertise in the field of whooping cough outbreaks.
>300 cases in the community identified.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of whooping cough outbreak in Marin County as they are reporting for Bay City News which is owned by NBC Universal. The article mentions that Dr. Matt Willis and Lindsey Termini from the Department of Health and Human Services were interviewed, but it does not disclose any financial ties or personal relationships between them and the author.
The article reports on a whooping cough outbreak in Marin County which is owned by NBC Universal.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis.
Typical symptoms resemble a common cold and include prolonged bouts of coughing often accompanied by a distinctive whooping sound when inhaling.
The persistent cough can last more than 10 weeks, but it seldom results in severe health complications for healthy individuals.
During the current outbreak, Marin County health officials have reported no hospitalizations due to pertussis and no cases among infants.
Whooping cough peaks cyclically with surges occurring every three to five years.
High school students are often affected due to waning immunity from pertussis vaccine they typically receive in seventh grade.
Accuracy
Whooping cough is relatively mild for most people, but can be fatal for infants who are not yet vaccinated.
Testing for pertussis is available through a physician's office by an evaluation or nasal swab test.
If a person tests positive, the physician can prescribe the antibiotic azithromycin for a required five-day isolation period.
To mitigate the spread of whooping cough, doctors commonly recommend DTaP vaccinations.
Even those who have been vaccinated may still contract the disease but experience less severe symptoms.
Whooping cough peaks cyclically with surges occurring every three to five years.
High school students are often affected due to waning immunity from pertussis vaccine they typically receive in seventh grade.
Marin County reported its last whooping cough outbreak during the 2018-19 winter season, with approximately 300 cases reported.
Alameda County experienced a surge at that time as well.
Officials previously attributed high rate of whooping cough cases in Marin County to low vaccination rates compared with other Bay Area counties but figure has improved dramatically in recent years. As of the 2021-2022 school year, nearly 97% of kindergartners were up to date on their required immunizations compared with just 78% a decade earlier.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author states that out of the 93 cases recorded in Marin County since mid-December, 65 have occurred at Tamalpais High School. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that all these cases are from Tamalpais High School when in fact they may not be. Secondly, the author states that whooping cough can be relatively mild for most people and seldom results in severe health complications for healthy individuals. This statement contradicts itself as it suggests that whooping cough is a serious disease with potentially fatal consequences but then also implies that it is generally harmless. Lastly, the article does not disclose any sources.
The author states whooping cough can be relatively mild for most people and seldom results in severe health complications for healthy individuals. This statement contradicts itself as it suggests that whooping cough is a serious disease with potentially fatal consequences but then also implies that it is generally harmless.
The author states out of 93 cases recorded in Marin County since mid-December, 65 have occurred at Tamalpais High School. However this statement is misleading as it implies that all these cases are from Tamalpais High School when in fact they may not be.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that out of the 93 cases recorded in the region since mid-December, 65 have occurred at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. This statement implies that because a health officer said it, it must be true without providing any evidence or context for this claim.
To mitigate the spread of whooping cough, doctors commonly recommend DTaP vaccinations,
Bias
(75%)
The article contains a statement that pertussis is relatively mild for most people. This implies that the author believes it to be true and may not have considered alternative viewpoints.
> The persistent cough can last more than 10 weeks, but it seldom results in severe health complications for healthy individuals.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial respiratory infection that spreads from person to person through droplets in the air.
Symptoms can start like a common cold with fatigue, a low-grade fever, runny nose, sore throat or sneezing. Then infected people develop a severe cough that can last for weeks or months.
The classic high-pitched whooping cough in the latter stage of pertussis is caused by having a coughing fit so long that you have to gasp for air.
Testing for pertussis is available through a physician's office either by an evaluation or through a nasal swab test. If someone tests positive, they can be prescribed antibiotics and must isolate themselves during treatment.
Marin has had surges of pertussis every three to five years. The last surge was in 2018 when 300 cases were reported.
Accuracy
Whooping cough is a highly contagious infection caused by bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.
Symptoms can seem like the common cold and include fatigue, runny nose, sneezing and a mild cough that can eventually progress to severe coughing fits.
The persistent cough can last more than 10 weeks, but it seldom results in severe health complications for healthy individuals.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a certain course of action without providing any evidence or citation. Additionally, the author makes use of inflammatory rhetoric when describing symptoms such as coughing fits and vomiting, which can be distressing to readers. The article also contains an example of dichotomous depiction by stating that pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial infection but then immediately following with information about how it spreads through droplets in the air. Finally, there are several instances where the author uses vague language such as 'some' and 'most', which can be misleading to readers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that teens and adults get another dose of Tdap vaccine if they live in a household with an infant or pregnant woman.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of whooping cough as they are reporting for Marin health officials. The article mentions that Tamalpais High School had its first case in January and more cases have been reported since then, mostly in southern Marin. This suggests that the author may be biased towards promoting vaccination efforts to prevent pertussis outbreaks within their community.
The article mentions that Tamalpais High School had its first case in January and more cases have been reported since then, mostly in southern Marin.
