If you are sick, stay home.
That’s the advice and plea of the Kitsap County Health District and Bainbridge Island School District in hopes of keeping the current pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak from spreading.
Health district officials said the majority of pertussis cases in the county have been on Bainbridge Island, with the rest in North Kitsap.
Officials said the number of cases are expected to grow. As of Tuesday, 95 cases of whooping cough had been reported to the health district.
A letter has been sent home with Bainbridge students about the spread of pertussis, and noted that “the majority of pertussis cases to date have been reported in school-aged children, mostly in the Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap school districts.”
Galen Crawford Goff, spokeswoman for the Bainbridge Island School District, said the school district and health district are working closely together to get the word out.
While a cough is a symptom of pertussis, it doesn’t always mean a child has it, Goff noted.
“Children can experience a cough for a number of reasons. We have students with coughs that have tested negative for pertussis.” she said.
“School nurses are sending children suspected of having pertussis home with a letter from the KPHD to give to their health care provider,” Goff added. “The letter will help the KPHD monitor the outcome of each provider visit. If the provider prescribes antibiotics, parents are to keep the student at home for the full course of treatment (five full days of treatment).”
According to current Washington State Department of Health standards, students must have the Tdap immunization, starting in kindergarten.
Whooping cough is spread very easily through coughing and sneezing. Infected persons will notice cold-like symptoms that develops into a bad cough.
Some violent coughing spells may end in gagging or vomiting.
Health officials said infants often may only have trouble breathing or feeding, or may turn purple, and need to be taken right away to a physician.
Vaccinated children and adults may still catch pertussis and spread it to others as vaccines tend to wear off over time. Infants aged 1 and younger are at a higher risk, as are those with weakened immune systems.
Generally, pertussis is treated with antibiotics which in turn control the symptoms and prevent the spread of infection to others, states the site.
For more information on the outbreak, visit www.kitsappublichealth.org.
Preventing the spread
• Keep sick children home from school, preschool and/or childcare.
• See a doctor if you or your child has a persistent cough and other symptoms of pertussis.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Stay home from work if you are sick.
• If you are sick, stay away from others, especially from infants and pregnant women.
• Make sure your children have had the recommended doses of the pertussis vaccine (DTaP).
• Talk to your physician about the pertussis booster (Tdap) that’s recommended for 10- to 12-year-olds, pregnant women, and other adults caring for infants.
