Whooping cough exposure at Victoria Hospital

People who were inside the Victoria Hospital emergency room in Prince Albert on Sunday, April 19 between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. may have been exposed to pertussis, also known as whooping cough.  

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) issued a public notice on April 30 warning of the danger to babies and pregnant women in their third trimester.  

Pertussis is a bacterial infection of the respiratory system that can lead to severe illness in very young children and can be fatal. Expectant mothers in the last three months of pregnancy can also spread the illness to their child once it is born, with the potential for severe disease or death.  

Anyone who was in the emergency department during the exposure period should monitor themselves for signs of illness. Early symptoms include a runny nose, sneezing, a fever and a cough. As the cough worsens over time, it can lead to severe coughing spells with a whooping sound before the next breath and often ends in vomiting. The cough can last up to two months and make it hard to breathe.