The Honeoye Falls-Lima School District reported that there is a case of whooping cough in a high school student on Wednesday, May 24.
District officials are working closely with the County Health Department and the School District Physician, Dr. Cindy Devore, to monitor the situation. Pertussis is a vaccine preventable disease that can be especially dangerous for the very young and the elderly. It is contagious among household members over weeks and causes significant illness, as well as missed time from school and work. Because of decreased protection over time from the original vaccine series, booster vaccines, given as “Tdap”, are needed to lessen the risk of infection even in people who have already had the original vaccine series. Pertussis vaccine is now available for virtually everyone in different preparations. The Centers for Disease Control recommend that all children and adults, including caregivers and grandparents of infants who are not old enough to have the entire series, get a booster vaccine. Pertussis illness has resulted in the deaths in very young children who have not completed the vaccine series. Adults can get and spread Pertussis, too.
This is a good time to review your family’s immunizations. Please discuss the matter of immunization with your private health care provider if anyone in your home, including you:
– will have contact with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers
– has never received Pertussis vaccination,
– has not completed the full series,
– has an immune deficiency,
– has a serious chronic medical condition,
– is pregnant
If you have any questions about your children’s health or immunizations, please contact your private physician’s office or the Monroe County Health Department’s Immunization Clinic.
If you have any reason to suspect that your children may have Pertussis, please do not send them to school until you have discussed the matter with your private provider. Children with confirmed Pertussis require five full days of antibiotic therapy before they may be in school.
