Morrow County has reported its first two confirmed cases of whooping cough, both in children.

Health officials there arent surprised at the diseases arrival. A whooping cough epidemic rages just across the border in Washington. Northeast Oregon public health workers have fended off the infectious bacterial disease, also known as pertussis, with free vaccination clinics and educational outreach. But no one is surprised at an uptick in local cases.

While most cases have occurred in western Oregon so far, the number of cases in northeastern Oregon has been slowly increasing over the past few months, said Shelley Wight, communicable disease coordinator for the Morrow County Health Department.

Neighboring Umatilla County has seen seven confirmed cases this year and is currently investigating eight more, said the countys public health chief, Genni Lehnert-Beers.

Weve had an influx, Lehnert-Beers said. The seven confirmed cases range from infants to 40 years of age. They come from all over the county.

Morrow and Umatilla county numbers are unusually high, but they are small potatoes compared with outbreak across the border in Washington. That state has seen a staggering 3,400 cases so far this year, compared to 287 in all of 2011. Walla Walla County, which usually sees one or two confirmed cases, is up to 40 and Benton County, encompassing Tri-Cities, has 52.

Harvey Crowder, administrator of the Walla Walla County Health Department, said the surge eased slightly in recent weeks, but he isnt breathing any sighs of relief.

Im assuming when school starts in three weeks, therell be an uptick in cases, Crowder said.

Lehnert-Beers also worries about the impending start of classes.

At school, the kids congregate and share things. The potential for infection is high, she said. Its a melting pot.

Whooping cough starts slowly with mild upper respiratory symptoms and progresses into fierce coughing spasms that can hamper breathing and occasionally end in death.

Public health experts are trying to figure out why whooping cough suddenly gained such a strong foothold.

The Centers for Disease Control is looking into the possibility that vaccine protection wanes more quickly than once thought. That jibes with Crowders observations, who said the bulk of Walla Wallas cases involve vaccinated adolescents.

If true, boosters are critical, said local health officials. Children from 11-12 should extend their protection with a booster, said Morrow County Health Director Sheree Smith, and all adults over age 19 who havent had a booster should get one. Adults dont get as sick, but often carry the disease to babies.

Infants are certainly the most vulnerable, Smith said. Almost half of the 525 infants diagnosed with pertussis in Oregon since 2000 have had to be hospitalized.

Oregons cases total 572, so far this year, compared with 190 in the same period last year.

The public health official hopes people take the disease seriously and get vaccinated.

We dont want to end up back in the old days of lots of babies dying, he said. No one wants to go back to that.

Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0810.