Watch Out For The Whooping Cough

With Triblocal reporting earlier this week that a Maine West student contracted whooping cough, and District 64 announcing three cases last week, Patch has compiled a list of health tidbits. Both school districts have sent out newsletters warning parents, students and staffs about the disease, formally known as pertussis.

To prevent spreading the disease, or try to ward against it, Dr. Jim Olson of Kids Heath Partners in Skokie the following:

• Be alert and see a doctor immediately when cases of whooping cough hits their child's school
• Make sure kids get whooping cough vaccines when they are babies as well as accompanying booster shots.
• Be aware of what the symptoms are like in order to detect the cough early while it's still treatable by antibiotics.

And according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, early symptoms of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, include:

• Fever, runny nose and a mild cough lasting up to two weeks.
• The cough graduates to a more frequent, harsher cough where people make a "whoop" sound when they are panting for air after a fit.
• Vomiting and exhaustion after fits are other symptoms at this stage of the illness.
• The disease can last up to 10 weeks or more and can be fatal for infants and children who have not been completely vaccinated.

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