ETHS Summer Student Diagnosed with Whooping Cough

The following letter was published Tuesday on the Evanston Township High School website:

Dear Parent/Guardian:

A student who participated in summer activities at ETHS in August was diagnosed with and treated for pertussis (whooping cough). Pertussis is a highly infectious and usually mild illness that is easily transmitted through coughing and sneezing and may last for several months. Symptoms of pertussis usually appear 5-10 days after exposure, but can take as long as 21 days to appear. It is possible for people to be infected with pertussis even if they have been vaccinated against it.

The initial symptoms of pertussis are similar to those of the common cold: runny nose, low-grade fever and a mild occasional cough, which can become severe and spasmodic - with a distinctive “whooping” sound - and can progress to vomiting between bouts of coughing.

Patients with pertussis should be isolated from day care, school, work, and public gatherings until at least 5 days after the start of appropriate antibiotic therapy to limit further transmission. Most people recover completely from pertussis, complications from the disease can be severe in high-risk groups, especially infants under one year, and children who have not been fully immunized against the disease or children with weakened immune systems. If your child needs a pertussis booster shot you can contact your doctor.

Since students who participated in summer activities may have been exposed to pertussis, we want parents to remain alert for symptoms. If your child develops symptoms it is important that you contact your doctor immediately for testing and antibiotic treatment as appropriate. In addition, frequent hand washing and respiratory hygiene (e.g. covering your cough, coughing into tissues, disposing of tissues promptly) are important practices that help to limit the spread of infection.

If you have questions, please contact the ETHS Health Service Office at 847-424-7260 or the Evanston Health Department at 847-866-2962.


Evonda Thomas RN MSN DHA (c)
Director, Evanston Health Department

Lisa Walter MSN RN CSN
Health Service, Evanston Township High School

Eric Witherspoon, PhD
Superintendent
Evanston Township High School D202