Pertussis Uptick in the State of South Dakota
According to the SD Department of Health (DOH), there has been an increase in pertussis cases across the state. Our district is proactively raising awareness among families and the community by sharing information to help you understand and address pertussis.
According to the DOH, pertussis, also known as “whooping cough, is a contagious disease that is spread through the air by respiratory droplets. It can be a very serious disease especially for infants, children, and the elderly. Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and a cough which becomes much worse over 1-2 weeks. The disease can spread through the air from a sick person during talking, singing, sneezing, or coughing. Pertussis can occur at any age, even in adults and teenagers who are often carriers of the disease. Pertussis vaccine is usually given to children under age 7 years with a booster dose administered after age 10.
Most children will not be affected by this exposure. However, even some adults and children who have been fully immunized for pertussis and people who have a history of pertussis disease may have waning immunity and therefore become infected if exposed to a case of pertussis.
Please consider seeing your health care provider for testing if your child develops cough illness, especially if cough is paroxysmal (sudden spasms of intensified cough). Case finding is important to be able to identify and treat cases and contacts to stop the spread of this illness.
Please visit the DOH website via this link: https://doh.sd.gov/health-data-reports/data-dashboards/infectious-disease-dashboard/
Please follow the updated link/fact sheet for more information: pertussis-fact-sheet.pdf
If you have questions, please call your health care provider, or contact Lea Glaze, our district nurse (605-669-2297), if you have concerns regarding your school-aged child.