Getting a vaccine can prevent against Pertussis
/ Alex Resila
SYRACUSE -- Pertussis, or whooping cough as it is commonly known was confirmed at Jamesville Dewitt Middle School. There are currently two cases that the district is dealing with. Whooping cough can start from nowhere, much like the common cold. Early symptoms of the disease are sneezing, running a low grade fever, a runny nose and coughing mildly. The district has informed parents through a letter which was sent home about the cases and about what the disease entails.
According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, School nurse Laura Williams and Principal Peter C. Smith said in the letter, "Students prescribed antibiotics to treat pertussis can return to school following the fifth day of treatment."
Jana Shaw is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics with Upstate Medical University, she told CNY Central's Alex Resila, "Middle school children and teens are at high risk for pertussis because we know that the pertussis vaccine loses its protection over time."
The vaccine can wear off after a period of roughly five years. The best thing to do to avoid this disease is to go back to the doctors office and get another shot.
Shaw went on to say, "Vaccination is the best prevention that you can do. It is very important that not only children get immunized against pertussis, but also teens and adults."
And the reason adults are on her list of age groups is because so few of them have the vaccine. If you do find yourself or someone you know having whooping cough, the best person to avoid is the smallest one in the room.
"Infants -- less than one year of age are very susceptible to severe pertussis. Not only they are not protected yet, but also they have most severe disease." said Shaw
For further information on pertussis, you can click over to www.cdc.gov.
