The North Penn School District has confirmed a case of pertussis – whooping cough – in a student at Pennbrook Middle School in Upper Gwynedd.
The case was reported to the Montgomery County Health Department on Thursday and was found in a Pennbrook 8th grader, according to a letter to students from school Principal James Galante posted Monday afternoon.
In the letter, Galante tells parents that the County Health Department urges all students be observed over the next two weeks for possible symptoms, including a running nose or sudden uncontrollable bursts of coughing, and that all sick children be seen by a pediatrician for evaluation, including a nasopharyngeal culture for Pertussis.
The letter also asks parents to check the vaccination status of their students, keep infants away from anybody with a cough, and treat all household members with antibiotics if a child is diagnosed with pertussis.
Included with the letter is a pertussis fact sheet with a description of symptoms, methods of treatment, and best ways to prevent the disease. The letter is available on the school’s website http://www.npenn.org/pennbrookms/.
In what seems like an article straight from 1786, a case of whooping cough has been confirmed in the North Penn school district. What's next, a polio outbreak at Wissahickon? Mumps ravaging Spring-Ford? Smallpox decimating Chichester? It appears this kid was in middle school. Hey asshole parents, vaccinate little Jimmy or Susie before another "Outbreak"-type scenario unfolds. The last thing I want to see is Dustin Hoffman patrolling my area in a Hazmat suit picking up strewn bodies because some J.O. is a decade late on his shots. Man with all these birds dropping from the sky and now these prehistoric diseases making a comeback, maybe the end of days is indeed nearer than we think.
Oh yeah, definitely blogged this while I was taking a post-work dump. Some stories need to be told no matter the cost.
No comments:
Post a Comment