Officials Attempt To Control Whooping Cough At North Shore H
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Posted: Monday, 06 November 2006 2:25PM
Officials Attempt To Control Whooping Cough At North Shore High School
WINNETKA, Il (WBBM) -- Not for at least ten years has the Cook County Health Department seen the likes of what's happening now on the Winnetka campus of New Trier High School: an outbreak of whooping cough that's hit at least 14 students so far.
WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports.
Before this, Cook County health officials saw sporadic cases of pertussis, or whooping cough. Not like now, with so many cases at one school, says Dr. Catherine Counard, assistant medical director of communicable disease control.
Students with coughs at New Trier were sent home Monday in an attempt to stop the spread of the infectious illness. According to school officials, there was about a three percent increase in absentee students Monday.
Students who were sent home were carrying instructions requiring that they see their doctor and get a clean bill of health before returning to school.
It remains unclear as to how many students were sent home, but a school officials said that no classes had been canceled due to the mandated dismissals.
One parent tells WBBM the nurse's office at New Trier was full this morning.
"We have not seen this kind of transmission, at least (not) in the last ten years."
Dr. Counard says they started seeing cases of whooping cough at New Trier in August, and she says more cases have appeared, despite the health department sending letters home, urging New Trier students to be vaccinated with the booster shot against whooping cough.
The concern, she says, is that whooping cough could spread even more. Perhaps to unvaccinated infants, where whooping cough can be fatal.
"Who's your babysitter usually?" Dr. Counard asks. "High school students."
Last week the school reported more than a dozen cases of whooping cough and was urging anyone experiencing symptoms -- typically a rattling cough -- to stay home.
Most are vaccinated as kids, but immunity only lasts a few years. New Trier wants all students to get booster shots.
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