Whooping Cough Reported At Patriot High In Nokesville

NOKESVILLE, VA — A student with a confirmed case of whooping cough (pertussis) recently attended classes at Patriot High School in Prince William County, according to letter sent to parents and guardians by principal Michael E. Bishop. He wrote that although "there is no reason for alarm," parents should be on the lookout for potential symptoms, such as a persistent cough that increases in severity.

Even so, the Prince William Health District is not advising that students or staff members be treated for possible exposure. Pertussis is a bacterial, respiratory illness characterized by severe coughing. It affects

people of all ages, and is spread through the air by droplets from sneezing and coughing.

Click here to read the principal's letter.

Here are some tips for dealing with pertussis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC:

Early Symptoms

In those who have been vaccinated:

• In most cases, the cough won’t last as many days
• Coughing fits, whooping, and vomiting after coughing fits occur less often
• The percentage of children with apnea (long pause in breathing), cyanosis (blue/purplish skin coloration due to lack of oxygen) and vomiting is less

The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or not even there. Babies may have a symptom known as "apnea." Apnea is a pause in the child's breathing pattern. Pertussis is most dangerous for babies. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease need care in the hospital. Learn more about pertussis complications.
Early symptoms can last for 1 to 2 weeks and usually include:

• Runny nose
• Low-grade fever (generally minimal throughout the course of the disease)
• Mild, occasional cough
• Apnea – a pause in breathing (in babies)

Because pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold, it is often not suspected or diagnosed until the more severe symptoms appear.
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Pertussis in Babies

It is important to know that many babies with pertussis don’t cough at all. Instead it causes them to stop breathing and turn blue.

Later-stage Symptoms

After 1 to 2 weeks and as the disease progresses, the traditional symptoms of pertussis may appear and include:

• Paroxysms (fits) of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched "whoop"
• Vomiting (throwing up) during or after coughing fits
• Exhaustion (very tired) after coughing fits

Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. This extreme coughing can cause you to throw up and be very tired. Although you are often exhausted after a coughing fit, you usually appear fairly well in-between. Coughing fits generally become more common and bad as the illness continues, and can occur more often at night. The coughing fits can go on for up to 10 weeks or more. In China, pertussis is known as the "100 day cough." However, the "whoop" is often not there for people who have milder (less serious) disease. The infection is generally milder in teens and adults, especially those who have been vaccinated.

Image via Patriot High School