Whopping Cough Warning Sent Out to South Tahoe High Parents

Two possible cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, were reported at South Tahoe High. A letter from El Dorado County Health & Human Services was emailed to South Tahoe High parents Friday evening, warning them of the probable cases.

Pertussis can spread through the air when people cough. It often starts like a cold that gets worse after a week or so. People with the disease may have coughing spells that last several seconds. According to county health officials, as victims catch their breath at the end of each spell they may loudly gasp and vomit or choke. Pertussis is treated with antibiotic that can also prevent the spread of the disease to others.

The pertussis vaccine usually protects, but since it is received in early childhood it looses effectiveness over time and leaves children unprotected by the time they reach adolescence. Tdap (tetanus, pertussis, diptheria) is a booster shot that anyone from the age of 11 to 64 can receive.

If your child became ill with cold-like symptoms between the beginning of April and the beginning of May, or develops a coughing illness before mid-June, your child may have contracted pertussis.

If this is the case, your child should not attend school until they have seen their physician and have:

1. Taken appropriate antibiotics for 5 days
2. Or 3 weeks have elapsed since the onset of the cough
3. Or they have completely recovered

If your physician determines that your child is likely to have pertussis, he/she may recommend preventive antibiotics for your family or others who have had close face-to-face contact with your child. Your physician may also recommend another dose of DTP or DTaP vaccine to babies or children who are close contacts and who need another dose.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact your family doctor or call .
Communicable Disease Office of the Health and Human Services Agency at 530-621-6320.