Schools

Whooping Cough Cases Grow in DuPage County

Elmhurst District 205 has not seen any cases, but nurses are watching students' symptoms carefully.

In a letter sent out to area schools Nov. 30, the DuPage County Health Department warned that several states have recently seen an increase or localized outbreaks of pertussis, a disease more commonly known as whooping cough.

So far this year, David Hass, public information officer for the DuPage County Health Department said the county has recorded 57 cases, up from 26 cases in 2009 and 13 cases in 2008. The last major outbreak of whooping cough in DuPage County was in 2004, with 127 cases reported.

"We're getting it out there and informing the schools," Hass said. "Our goal is to contain it."

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Terry Hillen, nurse coordinator at Elmhurst Unit District 205, said there have been no recorded cases in the district.

"This is the time of year we see an increase in a lot of different viral illnesses," she said. "We get a lot of stomach upsets and upper respiratory illness, but none have been identified as pertussis."

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However, the district has posted extensive pertussis information on its Web site, and school nurses have been on heightened alert, she said.

"We are looking at symptoms, and if we see an increase in the amount of absences, we pay more attention to those and follow up with the families if necessary," she said. "We haven't had to do that."

The district also has made an effort to educate children in first and second grades on hand-washing and covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze.

"This year, because of heightened awareness, we've made more of a point to get that done," Hillen said.

Hand sanitizers also are located throughout the schools, she said.

"Students are very good about using them … and teachers are very mindful of making sure students wash their hands," she said.

While pertussis is highly infectious, DuPage health officials say the symptoms are generally mild. The illness is transmitted through coughing and sneezing, and symptoms generally appear five to 10 days after exposure. Symptoms begin with a mild fever and an occasional cough lasting for at least two weeks. Symptoms can become severe, which results in spasmodic coughing that gives whooping cough its distinctive sound.

Generally the disease is mild in older children and adults, Hass said, but it becomes more complicated for older adults, young children and infants, especially those who have incomplete immunizations or no immunizations at all.

"Immunization is the most important way to prevent it, especially for high-risk (people)," Hillen said.

She said there are very few students who have not been immunized in District 205, or in Elmhurst, for that matter.

"We're in an area where parents are educated and work closely with their doctors to make sure (their children) are fully immunized," she said, adding that in all of District 205, only 39 students are exempt from immunization due to religious or medical reasons.

DuPage County as a whole also likely has a large percentage of students who are immunized, she said. That's why the sudden increase in cases is puzzling.

"I don't have an answer to why (there is an increase)," she said. "We saw it with measles two years ago. It's a baffling question. Viruses do change, mutate. It may be a little bit different virus. It's hard to say."

Anyone exhibiting symptoms should stay home from school and work to stop the spread of the disease. Pertussis is easily treated with antibiotics, but isolation must continue for at least five days after the start of treatment, Hass said.

 


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