Whooping cough case identified at Seneca High

One case of whooping cough has been identified at Seneca High School.  Below is a letter from the DHEC region public health director outlining what happened and the steps those should take:

January 16, 2020
Dear parent/guardian and staff:
A case of whooping cough has been identified at Seneca High School.
Some people who attended or visited Seneca High School between the dates of January 10-January 14, 2020, may have been exposed to whooping cough.
Whooping cough is a contagious disease that affects the nose, throat, windpipe, and lungs. It spreads easily by coughing or sneezing. People with whooping cough may have coughing fits. They might throw up after coughing. The severe cough can last for weeks or months. [Babies may have a symptom known as “apnea.” Apnea is a pause in the child’s breathing pattern.]
Whooping cough can be dangerous for babies and for people with lung diseases or weakened immune systems. Adults and adolescents may have milder symptoms of whooping cough but they can spread their infection to babies who may become severely ill.
The best way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination. The childhood vaccine is called DTaP and the whooping cough booster vaccine for adolescents and adults is called Tdap. Children should get 5 doses of DTaP, one dose at each of the following ages: 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months and 4-6 years. Adolescents11 through 18 years of age (preferably at age 11-12 years) should receive a single dose of Tdap. One dose of Tdap is also recommended for adults 19 years of age and older who did not get Tdap as an adolescent. Talk to your health care provider about whether you and your child are up to date on pertussis vaccinations.
If you received this letter, your child may have been exposed. If you received this letter and you are a school staff member, you may have been exposed. DHEC recommends the following:
1. If any of the following apply to the person who was exposed to whooping cough, contact your health care provider right away:
• She is a woman who is pregnant
• He or she is an infant younger than 12 months old
• He or she has a weakened immune system
• He or she has a severe lung disease
• He or she lives with an infant under 12 months old, with a pregnant woman, or with someone with severe lung disease or a weakened immune system
• Show this letter to your health care provider. Ask him or her about antibiotics to protect the exposed person from getting whooping cough.

2. If the exposed person has a cough now, or starts coughing in the next 3 weeks, the coughing person should: • Stay home from group activities such as work, school, sports or playgroups, church, etc. The coughing person may be contagious with whooping cough. • Make an appointment with a health care provider as soon as possible. Tell the provider about the cough and about the possible exposure to whooping cough. • Bring this letter with you to your appointment. • If your health care provider says that you or your child has whooping cough the following are recommended to prevent spread from the person with whooping cough: ▪ Stay home from work, school, childcare, until antibiotics have been taken for at least 5 days. ▪ Do not go to other activities, such as sports or playgroups, shopping, concerts, etc. during that time. ▪ Avoid having visitors during the first 5 days of antibiotics. ▪ Be sure that the person with whooping cough covers his/her mouth and nose with tissue when coughing or sneezing. The used tissue should be thrown away in the waste basket. Most important, the coughing person should wash his or her hands often. ▪ Ask your health care provider for a note for school, childcare or work stating that you or your child has whooping cough. When your health care provider says that you or your child can no longer spread the infection, please ask them for a note stating that it’s okay to return to work, school, childcare, and other activities.
If you have any questions, please contact the Upstate Region Public Health Epidemiology Office at 864-372-3133.
Sincerely,

Tracy Murphy, MD Upstate Region Medical Director