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May 9, 2008 8:23 am US/Pacific
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Whooping Cough Outbreak Closes Bay Area School
EL SOBRANTE (CBS) ―
A school in West Contra Costa County was being closed Friday in an attempt to contain an outbreak of Pertussis - also known as Whooping Cough, health officials said Thursday night.
The East Bay Waldorf School in El Sobrante posted a notice on school doors indicating that the whooping cough outbreak involved kindergarten students and their teachers.
Due to concerns over possible spreading of the infection, officials decided to close the school on Friday and advised impacted staff and students to see doctors.
In order to be readmitted to school on Monday, administrators said all exposed students and faculty would be required to offer doctors notes indicating that they were treated with antibiotics and are symption-free.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious and potentially fatal bacterial infection of the upper respiratory system that causes irritation in breathing passages and can result in severe coughing spells.
Its name comes from the "whooping" sound victims make as they try to recover their breath after a coughing fit.
The first symptoms of whooping cough appear about seven to 10 days after a person is exposed. The initial symptoms are usually sneezing and a low-grade fever, with a cough coming on after about two weeks.
Whooping cough can be especially dangerous in infants. In older children and adults, the disease is milder but can last for weeks or months.
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