ONE CASE OF WHOOPING COUGH IN MARSHFIELD HIGH
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 -- 9:15 AM
Faculty and staff at Marshfield Senior High School are being asked to be vigilant as a student was confirmed to have whooping cough.As we've reported, the student actually resides in Clark County in the Chili area, but is an underclassmen at Marshfield, which is in Wood County.
High School principal John Blankush tells Central Wisconsin Broadcasting News the school's nursing staff recently sent a memo to staff explaining the situation and asking them to be on the lookout for symptoms.
Whooping cough is very contagious, as evidenced by the outbreak in Greenwood where the number of confirmed cases jumped from six to 31 in a matter of a couple weeks. It's marked by a severe cough that can cause the telltale "whooping" sound as the cougher tries to catch their breath.
Clark County Public Health released a statement Monday saying they believe the outbreak is under control here and no serious complications have come from whooping cough.
A vaccination clinic will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Clark County Public Health Department in Neillsville in room 105 of the courthouse. The Pertussis Vaccine booster called Tdap is recommended for older children and adults up to 64-years-old to increase their immunity.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.