August 9, 2012
TO: Parents – Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties
FROM: E.W. Gray, M.D., Health Officer
Northeast Tri County Health District
RE: School Starts Soon – Get Your Kids Ready to Pass Their Classes, Not Disease
With ‘back to school’ around the corner, now is the time to make sure children are protected from diseases before they start school. This is especially important because we are in the midst of a tri- county and statewide pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic. We are on pace to have the highest pertussis rates in fifty (50) years. Four (4) tri-county children have been hospitalized in 2012, and there have been local cases in infants as young as eight (8) days old. The fact that thousands of students and staff will be returning to school raises concerns about increased spread of the disease.
Pertussis/whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Pertussis begins with cold like symptoms of sneezing, congestion, sore throat, fever, and a dry cough. The second stage is marked by fits of uncontrollable coughing that can last for several weeks. This coughing can lead to vomiting, a ‘whooping’ sound as a person sharply draws in their breath, or can cause little infants to turn blue due to lack of oxygen. For adolescents and adults, whooping cough symptoms can be mild. For infants, the disease can be very serious or even fatal.
To prevent further spread of the disease, if your son or daughter is ill with pertussis like symptoms, please keep them home from school and have them evaluated by their health care provider before returning to school. If their health care provider suspects pertussis, and test results are not back yet, we recommend that your child stay home from school until their test result comes back negative, or they have completed five (5) days of antibiotic treatment following a positive test result.
Though pertussis vaccine is not 100% effective, it is the best means of protection. Washington’s youngsters need several vaccines before they can attend school and child care. Two (2) vaccines protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis – or whooping cough. The DTaP vaccine is required for kids entering child care and kindergarten. Because immunity wanes over time, one dose of Tdap booster is required for kids 11 and older in 6th through 11th grade. Students aged 7-10 years without a complete DTaP series should get one dose of Tdap instead of Td. Parents, grandparents and caregivers of infants and young children are also highly encouraged to get their Tdap booster. Be sure to ask your health care provider for vaccination records for your children now so you’ll have enough time to get any immunizations they might need before school starts.
Kids who aren’t fully immunized may be sent home from school, preschool, or child care if a disease outbreak occurs. Last yeara new law changed the process for parents or guardians to exempt their child from required immunizations. They must now fill out and submit an exemption certificate, signed by a health care provider verifying the provider has shared information on immunization benefits and risks.
No-cost vaccines are offered for children up to age nineteen (19) through health care providers participating in the state’s Childhood Vaccine Program. They may charge an office visit fee and a fee to give the vaccine, called an administration fee. People who can’t afford the administration fee can ask the health care provider to waive the cost. A list of tri-county immunization providers can be found at: http://www.netchd.org/communityhealth/ImmunizationProgram/ImmunizationProviders.asp
If you have any questions about pertussis, please contact your health care provider or the Northeast Tri County Health District office closest to you.
Colville Community Health (509) 684-5048
Newport Community Health (509) 447-3131
Republic Community Health (509) 775-3111