Newest Whooping Cough Case Reported at Gaithersburg School

The number of students not current on their vaccinations has dropped significantly, say Montgomery County health officials, even as a Gaithersburg High School student with whooping cough boosts the total number of cases in the county to 16 students.

The Gazette reports that letters were sent home to Gaithersburg High parents this week to alert them of the respiratory disease’s spread.

There are still nearly 1,500 seventh-graders who do not have the required proof of immunizations to be allowed to continue to go to class at Montgomery County Public Schools.

Other schools where a student has been confirmed to have the disease are: Walter Johnson High School and Thomas S. Wootton High School in Bethesda, Sherwood High School student in Sandy Spring, Cabin John Middle School in Potomac and Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville, Julius West Middle School in Rockville and Cold Spring Elementary in Potomac.

Mary Anderson, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, told MyMCMedia Friday that the latest numbers show 1,491 seventh-graders still have failed to show they have the latest immunizations to meet new state vaccine requirements.

All students entering seventh grade in August 2014 must show proof of one Tdap (Tetnus-diptheria-acellular pertussis) vaccination and one Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccination. The deadline to provide proof of immunizations is Monday, Sept. 15.

The school system has been sending letters home to those students who still haven’t met the health requirements, and making automated phone calls to remind parents to get it done, said schools spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala.

At the start of the school year, 4,200 students were not compliant with the new law.

Clinics were offered at nine high schools in the county last week. Parents can also go through the Vaccines for Children Program to eligible children through 18 years of age, at three health centers in Montgomery County.

Anderson said she expects more clinics will be scheduled next week to address this particular population. Specific information on where they will be held was not immediately available.

Meanwhile, Onijala said the school system has not yet determined what they will do when a seventh-grader who does not have the required immunizations shows up for school on Monday.

Whooping Cough Symptoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control, pertussis spreads easily from person to person through coughing and sneezing. Patients are generally treated with antibiotics, which are used to control the symptoms and to prevent infected people from spreading the disease. Vaccination can often prevent the disease.

The disease is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe, says the CDC. After fits of many coughs, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breaths, which result in a “whooping” sound. Pertussis most commonly affects infants and young children and can be fatal, especially in babies less than 1 year of age.

Anyone diagnosed is reported to the Maryland Health Department and then in turn reported to the county’s health agency. Symptoms include a runny nose and a cough that sounds similar to a bark, according to the CDC.