Whooping cough case at CCHS elicits call for pertussis boosters
“The vaccine’s prevention, after about three years, does wear off, so you are encouraged to get a booster.”
Acton health officials are reminding people to stay up to date on vaccines after at least one confirmed and one suspected case of whooping cough surfaced at the high school.
“The vaccine’s prevention, after about three years, does wear off, so you are encouraged to get a booster,” Public Health Director Melanie Dineen said at a Tuesday Board of Health meeting.
In an email to The Acton Bridge, Dineen said: “Anyone who isn’t sure of their vaccination status should check with their [primary care provider] or use the Mass.gov vaccination history to check.”
It’s important to stay up to date, she wrote, “especially to protect vulnerable populations, such as those under 6 months and those who are pregnant.”
Whooping cough, or pertussis, most commonly appears in people older than 10 whose childhood vaccines, such as TDaP or Dtap, may have lost their effectiveness.
In an advisory emailed to parents on October 30, Acton-Carlisle High School co-Principals Katie Stahl and Brian Miller said the school had contacted the families of “any students who have a class or participate in an extracurricular activity with an individual who has tested positive.”
An information sheet linked in the principals’ email said that at the moment, “there are no recommendations for antibiotics for your child. However, parents and guardians should be aware of the signs and symptoms of pertussis.”
Testing is recommended for students who develop symptoms, “and five days of antibiotic treatment will be required before being able to return to school,” the bulletin said.
Whooping cough is generally spread by bacteria in droplets released when people cough, sneeze, or talk. According to the state health department, pertussis often begins with a week or two of sneezing, runny nose, and coughing that’s easily mistaken for a cold or similar ailment. It can then escalate to more violent coughing spells that can be accompanied by vomiting and the tell-tale “whooping” sound patients make when they inhale.
It poses the greatest risk to infants, with the possibility of leading to brain swelling or damage, seizures, or, in very rare cases, death.
