Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Mooney sent home a letter to parents on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to inform them that a Weber Middle School student has been diagnosed with pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
The superintendent was notified by the Nassau County Department of Health about the student.
Pertussis is an infection that affects the airways and is easily spread from person to person by coughing or sneezing, according to the letter. The severe cough can last for weeks or months, sometimes leading to coughing fits and/or vomiting. Anyone can get pertussis, but it can be very dangerous for infants and people with weakened immune systems. Family members with pertussis, especially mothers, can spread pertussis to newborns.
The notice gave recommendations for parents:
• If your child has a cough keep your child home from school and activities. Make an appointment with your child’s doctor as soon as possible and tell the doctor that your child may have been exposed to pertussis.
• If your child has been told by a doctor that they have a weakened immune system, ask your child’s doctor to prescribe antibiotics to your child as soon as possible to prevent pertussis. Antibiotics should be given to a child with a weakened immune system if they may have been exposed to pertussis, even if he or she is not coughing.
• If your child lives with any of the following people and may have been exposed to pertussis, ask your child’s doctor to prescribe antibiotics as soon as possible to your child, even if he or she is not coughing: a woman who is pregnant, an infant younger than 12 months old or anyone with a weakened immune system.
If your child has been diagnosed with pertussis by his or her doctor:
• Tell the school that your child has been diagnosed with pertussis. School officials may request that you keep your child home from school and activities until your child has been on antibiotics for five days to treat pertussis.
• Ask your child’s doctor for a note that states your child has pertussis.
If your child’s doctor says your child does NOT have pertussis, ask for a note from the doctor stating that your child’s cough is not pertussis and that your child can return to school. Make sure your family’s vaccinations are up-to-date. Protection against pertussis from the childhood vaccine, DTaP, decreases over time and a booster shot, called “Tdap” is recommended.
