Whooping Cough

1
Whooping Cough

• A School Health Perspective

2
What is Hepatitis?

• Pertussis is a contagious and fairly common
  bacterial infection that causes a range of mild
  to severe symptoms.
• Listen to Whooping Cough (Windows)

3
What are the signs and symptoms?

• Children with Pertussis infection may show the
  following symptoms
• Fever is usually absent or minimal
• Begins with cold-like symptoms
• Coughing progresses to severe coughing, which may
  cause
• Vomiting, loss of breath, cyanosis
• High-pitched sound when inhaling after a period
  of coughing

4
What are the incubation and contagious periods?

• Incubation period 6 to 21 days usually 7 to 10
  days
• Contagious period From the onset of signs or
  symptoms until two weeks after the cough begins,
  depending on age, immunization status, previous
  episodes of infection with pertussis, and
  antibiotic treatment.
• Infants may remain infectious for 6 weeks or more
  after the cough starts.

5
How is it spread?

• Direct or close contact with mouth and nose
  secretions.
• Possibly by direct hand contact with secretions.
• By children and adults who have a cough caused by
  pertussis, as in some cases of bronchitis.

6
How can I control it?

• It is vaccine-preventable, although protection is
  incomplete and decreases over time after routine
  childhood immunizations.
• Hand washing.
• Antibiotics for household and other close
  contacts (staff, teachers, etc.)
• Test cultures of staff who develop respiratory
  symptoms after exposure to confirmed cases.

7
What are the roles of the teacher and family?

• Report infections to staff in charge of decision
  making.
• Practice good hand washing and hygiene.
• Teach children to wash their hands at appropriate
  times.
• Check records for immunizationsespecially
  incompletely immunized children.
• Monitor staff for respiratory signs and symptoms
  and recommend treatment within 21 days of
  exposure.

8
Exclude from group settings?

• Yes.
• Pertussis is highly contagious.

9
Readmit to Group Setting?

• After 5 days of antibiotics, which is given for
  14 days total.
• When the child is able to participate and staff
  determine they can care for this child and others
  in the class/school.

10
Pertussis in Louisiana

• In the past ten years, the number of Pertussis
  cases in Louisiana has oscillated from ten to
  forty-five cases per year and incidence rates
  have ranged between 0.2 and 1.0 per 100,000. All
  rates are below the national average of 2.88 per
  100,000.
• http//www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/miscdocs/docs
  -249/annual/LaIDAnnual_Pertussis.pdf