Whooping cough outbreak hits Marin County high school
An outbreak of whooping cough in southern Marin County has infected 93 people, a majority at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is spread when one person coughs into the air and someone else breathes in the droplets, county public health nurse Lindsey Termini told the Marin Independent Journal. It is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable bacterial respiratory disease that causes symptoms in five to 21 days after infection, she said.
Symptoms include a low-grade fever, runny nose, sore throat and sneezing. A person with whooping cough can develop a severe cough that can last weeks or months and can leave them gasping for air, Termini said. Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics.
The department started recording cases in December, and the first of the 65 cases at Tamalpais High School was reported in January. The high school’s administrators have sent notices to parents about the outbreak but have not instituted a mask requirement, according to the article.