Posted: Fri 3:28 PM, Oct 04, 2019
WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — The Waynesville (Mo.) School District reports an employee has contracted whooping cough.
The worker will remain on leave until cleared by doctors. The district is working to notify parents of students have may have had contact with the worker.
While whooping cough is contagious, children who are up-to-date on their shots are considered to be at low risk for getting the disease.
“The best way to prevent pertussis (whooping cough) among babies, children, teens, and adults is to get vaccinated,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Also, keep babies and other people at high risk for pertussis complications away from infected people.”
In the United States, the recommended pertussis vaccine for babies and children is called DTaP. This is a combination vaccine that helps protect against three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. The booster, called Tdap, is for preteens, teens, and adults. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis as is “known for uncontrollable, violent coughing which often makes it hard to breathe,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
