Whooping Cough outbreak at Central Middle [UPDATED]

Parents of Central Middle School students in Eunice were notified of an apparent “outbreak” of whooping cough at the school.
In a letter dated November 15, 2013, parents were informed by Principal Ranolviaun Landry that Central Middle School had received notification from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health of a Pertussis (whooping cough) “outbreak”.
The letter then went on to describe symptoms of the contagious whooping cough– which is the result of a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract.
Considering the outbreak, the letter concludes with a strong recommendation for Tdap vaccinations– which is combined Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis vaccines required for all school children 11 years of age or older under state law.
According to the letter, the Office of Public Health was “strongly recommending” that all children, 10 to 11 years of age and in the 5th grade, receive the Tdap vaccination.
Attempts to reach officials at Central Middle School and the OPH Regional Office for comment on the matter were unsuccessful on Tuesday.
According to the Center for Disease Control, an “outbreak” is considered to be the occurrence of a higher number of cases of disease than normally expected within a community or group of people over a given period of time.
“In the United States, in the last 20 to 30 years there’s been an increase in the number of Pertussis throughout the U.S. and outbreaks are becoming more common,”said Dr. Tina Stefanski, regional medical director for the state Office of Public Health. “In Louisiana, over the last couple of years, we have noticed an increase in the number of reported cases of Pertussis.”
She said that in 2012 the state saw 74 reported cases of Pertussis. In 2013, to date, she said that there have been 195 reported cases of Pertussis.
Dr. Stefanski said that the best way to control the spread of Pertussis in a school or community is through vaccinations.
“Our focus from a public health stand point is control the spread of a communicable disease,” she said. “In the case of this particular, I can tell you that the school administration and the nursing staff have been wonderful and really on top of things.”
Dr. Stefanski enocuraged parents and faculty to make sure that their students are vaccinated properly. She said that if “anything changes with the situation” at Central Middle School, parents will be notified via letter.
She wanted to remind parents– who may have any questions concerning the recent outbreak– to contact the OPH Regional Office, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at (337) 262-5311 or at (800) 256-2748.