Whooping Cough Outbreaks In Montco 'Primarily' High Schoolers

NORRISTOWN, PA — Officials in Montgomery County continue to monitor outbreaks of whooping cough around the area which they say are chiefly impacting high school students. However, any resident, even those who are up to date on vaccinations, is susceptible to infection.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School was the first in the county to report cases in mid-April. A spokesperson for Colonial School District told Patch that five cases were confirmed.

See previous coverage: Whooping Cough Outbreak in Montgomery County

Since then, outbreaks have occurred in other districts, though the county declined to comment on which specific schools. The county Office of Public Health is working directly with the schools on specific guidance and communication to the school community to limit the outbreaks.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is characterized as an irritating cough that progresses into violent coughing fits. It's highly contagious, and school environments offer it an easy vector.

Impacted schools are instructed to take precautions, and students who have whooping cough symptoms are asked to stay out of school. But officials said districts should not expect any sort of extended quarantine process as was implemented for coronavirus.

"There’s no quarantine like there was for COVID, though individuals who are diagnosed with pertussis should stay at home until they have completed a five day course of recommended antibiotics," Megan Alt, Montgomery County's communications director, told Patch. "MCOPH does do some contact tracing for individual cases because post-exposure antibiotics are recommended for household contacts and high-risk close contacts."

While the vast majority of individuals are vaccinated for whooping cough, the vaccine does not stop infection. However, even if infected, vaccinated individuals may not get as sick from the disease, the CDC said, and the vaccine is strongly recommended.

Often the coughing spells are enough that the child cannot breathe between coughs or gags and vomits. Anyone with a moderate to severe cough should be evaluated by their physician to rule out pertussis.

Health officials advise all residents to ensure they are up to date on their pertussis vaccination.