Whooping Cough Case Reported at Stevenson

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A Stevenson High School student has been diagnosed with whooping cough, according to the Lake County Health Department Communicable Disease Division. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacteria spread easily by coughing and sneezing, and Stevenson High officials are now asking parents to watch for any symptoms of pertussis in their children for the next three weeks, school officials said.

Those with pertussis are most contagious at the start of symptoms, such as runny nose and mild cough, and for the next two weeks and those symptoms typically appear five to 21 days after infection, according to a District 125 news release. Usually only those in close contact with someone who has pertussis becomes infected.

Pertussis may start with cold-like symptoms followed by a cough that gradually worsens while others may develop the cough without any cold symptoms at all. Typically, there is no fever, but the cough can disrupt sleep.

Students who come down with pertussis symptoms may need to be evaluated by a physician. Parents and guardians should tell the doctor that pertussis has been reported at Stevenson, and to report a possible pertussis infection to the school’s nurses, according to the District 125 news release.

"If your student was seen by a medical provider and pertussis was suspected, please keep her or him at home for the first five days of the correct antibiotic treatment for pertussis or until test (naso-pharyngeal) results are known," according to District 125 officials. "Antibiotics given early may minimize severe symptoms and prevent further spread of the disease."

Those with concerns can call the student’s medical provider or the Stevenson nurses office at 847-415-4019.