Pertussis up to 22 cases

EPHRATA - The Grant County Health District has received one more reported of pertussis (whooping cough) case since last month, bringing the total to 22 confirmed cases for the year.

This has been the most challenging outbreak for the Department of Health this year, according to Pattie Anderson of the GCHD.

The District has investigated two Salmonella cases in July which were linked to a food establishment in Benton and Franklin Counties. The link was most likely salsa, Anderson said. Benton Franklin Health District also received three cases of Salmonella. There are two nationwide outbreaks of Salmonella (Hadar and Montevideo) that are linked to live poultry with five each being reported in Idaho and Oregon and nine in Washington State.

There have been no human cases of West Nile Virus reported. There have been a higher number of cases being reported this year in horses, dead birds, and mosquitoes than in the recent past.

There has been a decrease of Tuberculosis in this area, Anderson reported. Although there have been 17 cases of Influenza A (H3N2) reported in other states, none have been from Washington.

- Staff report