For the second time in six-months, Freedom High School has sent out an alert to parents that students may have been exposed to Whooping Cough. The letter went out Wednesday evening while parents were also issued an alert in September 2014.
A message from FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL
Attention Parents and Guardians,
Your child may have been exposed to whooping cough (pertussis) at school. Whooping cough is spread through the air when people cough or sneeze. Whooping cough is a serious illness that may cause severe choking, coughing and vomiting.
The vaccine usually protects, but sometimes even immunized children can get whooping cough. You should suspect whooping cough if your child has sudden bursts of uncontrolled coughing that get progressively worse, choking or vomiting following a coughing episode starting within the next 7-14 days.
If your child has or develops this kind of cough, contact your child’s health care provider right away and keep your child home from school. You will also need to notify your school.
For Additional Questions and Resources:
The Contra Costa Public Health Communicable Disease Programs can be reached 8AM-5PM M-F at: 925-313-6740 (phone) or 925-313-6465 (fax).
More information may be found at
http://cchealth.org/pertussis/ or http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/clinical/index.html
