SUBJECT  Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

INFORMATION

Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs.  Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and an irritating cough that gradually becomes much worse over 1-2 weeks.  The cough can turn into a long series of coughs followed by a whooping noise as air refills the lungs.  However, older children, adults and very young infants may not develop the whoop.  People with pertussis may have a series of coughs followed by vomiting, turning blue or difficulty catching their breath.

NEXT STEPS

Our Glacier response team has mobilized the action plan for addressing this issue.  We are working closely with the Flathead City-County Health Department to ensure all details are addressed.  If your student has been directly exposed, a staff person from the Flathead City-County Health Department will contact you regarding precautions for your student. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students directed by the Flathead City-County Health Department to remain out of school will have their absences coded as “OR”.  This means that all “whooping cough” related absences as verified by the Flathead City-County Health Department will not count against the student for the semester incentive.  Academic work missed during the absences will be allowed to be made up with full credit.

CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES

At this point in time, all school classes and events are continuing as scheduled.  We will work with the Flathead City-County Health Department to determine if any adjustments need to be made in the future. 

COMMUNICATION

We are committed to proactively communicating with our parents and guardians about any issue that may impact the health and safety of our students.  Please be advised that we are closely monitoring this issue and will continue to share relevant information with you in the future.  We will send out updates using the parent email group and will also post updates to our school web site.

The District continues to emphasize the importance of proper hygiene practices with our students, faculty and staff.  Additionally, we continue to practice heightened cleaning and sanitizing of District facilities in an attempt to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria in our classrooms, buildings and school buses.

FLATHEAD CITY-COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

At this time, the Flathead City-County Health Department strongly recommends parents and guardians take the following steps:

·       If your student is coughing, promptly contact your student’s health care provider.  Explain that your student may have been exposed to a case of pertussis and needs to be evaluated.  The provider may obtain a nasopharyngeal culture to test for pertussis.  In addition, if pertussis is suspected, an antibiotic will be given to your student to lower the chance of spreading the disease to others. Medication may not decrease the length or severity of illness.

·       If your student is diagnosed with pertussis, all household members and other close contacts should also be treated with antibiotics regardless of their age or immunization status.

·       Making sure that children receive all their shots on time is the best way to control pertussis in the future.  Children should receive one dose of DTaP vaccine at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and between 15-18 months.  In addition, one dose is needed before starting school.  An additional dose of Tdap vaccine is required at 7^th grade entry. If you are not sure your student is properly immunized, promptly contact your medical provider.

·       A new combination tetanus, diphtheria and acellular vaccine (Tdap) is available for use in adolescents and adults

·       Contact your health care provider or the Flathead City –County Health Department for more information about vaccine.