Four years ago, students across the world were removed from school in response to coronavirus. Now, we’re facing another contagion. On Sep. 23, the first pertussis (whooping cough) notifications were sent to exposed students.
Over the past month, classes have been interrupted by violent “whooping” noises as students burst into coughing fits. As of August, there are 1,498 reported cases of pertussis in California, significantly more than the total cases in 2023. Students are only notified about new cases of pertussis in their individual classes.
While the spread of this respiratory disease is at a fairly small scale right now, pertussis is highly contagious and can infect others for up to three weeks. Since many students are not aware of the illness’s transmissibility and dangerous long-term health effects, they continue coming to class while feeling under the weather. The competitive culture at Costa makes it difficult for students to miss long stretches of school while being sick. Students are inclined to attend school while symptomatic in order to receive full points for in-class assessments, exposing Costa students and staff to their illness.
Continuing to attend school while sick causes a spike in the spread of colds during flu season. However, this now poses a larger problem as students are circulating pertussis instead of a case of the sniffles, which is especially concerning since only students in the impacted classes have been notified, putting people who have been in contact with exposed students at risk. Pertussis is particularly alarming for students and staff with infant siblings or children who are more susceptible to disease. Non-immunocompromised members of the community must take into consideration the wellbeing of others who may experience worse side effects and long-term conditions from this sickness.
On Oct. 30, Costa Principal, Jennifer Huyhn, sent a school-wide e-mail notice regarding the pertussis cases. Although she states that these cases are not considered an outbreak, she recommends taking antibiotics, monitoring symptoms, quarantining if symptomatic, wearing medical-quality masks, and getting vaccinated. Although a bit untimely, these protocols can hopefully help our campus mitigate the spread of whooping cough.
With the rise of pertussis on campus, it is imperative that students and staff take measures to protect the health of themselves and their peers. By getting vaccinated, exercising basic hygiene, and staying home when ill, we can ensure the safety of our community.
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