'Highly Contagious' Whooping Cough In Summit School

SUMMIT, NJ - Summit Superintendent June Chang sent a Wednesday to families warning them that there were two confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in the district.

The letter shared symptoms and next steps that should be taken by the community and will be taken by the district should more cases develop.

The complete transcript of the letters is below:

Dear Parent/Guardian:

We have had two cases of confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) identified in the
district. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air by a cough or a sneeze. Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and a cough, which become much
worse over 1-2 weeks. Symptoms usually include a long series of coughing fits followed
by a whooping noise. However, older children, adults, and very young infants may not
develop the whoop. There is generally only a slight fever. People with pertussis may have a series of severe coughing fits followed immediately by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching breath. The cough is often worse at night, and cough medicines
usually do not help alleviate the cough.

If your child has been around someone with pertussis, he/ she might become sick with
the disease. This is especially true if your child is not up-to-date with his/ her pertussis vaccine shots. Even if your child's shots are up-to-date, he/ she might still get pertussis but usually a milder case.

If your child has been in contact with someone with pertussis, you should contact your
physician for further recommendations.

Please consider the following New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
recommendations:

1. Infants under one-year-old, especially those under six months, are most likely to
have severe symptoms if they develop pertussis. When possible, young infants
should be kept away from people with a cough. Infants with any coughing illness
should be seen promptly by their doctor.

2. The pertussis vaccine has until recently, been given only to children under 7 years
old. However, a new adolescent and adult pertussis booster vaccine is now
available for persons ages 10 - 64 years. Please note that all students entering the
6th grade are required to receive a booster dose of a pertussis vaccine (Tdap). If
you have children who have not been completely immunized against pertussis
(particularly infants under one year or those with a medical or religious
exemption) we recommend you now talk to your child's doctor about the benefits
of vaccination.

3. If your child comes down with cold symptoms that include a cough, talk to your
child's doctor immediately. Tell the doctor that pertussis has been identified in
your child's district.

4. Do not send your child to school if he/ she has any signs or symptoms of pertussis.
We will continue to monitor the situation at our schools and if additional actions to
control the spread of pertussis among pupils become necessary, we will again notify
parents.

Sincerely,
June Chang
Superintendent of Summit Public Schools

(Photo courtesy of Summit Public Schools)

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