Schools

Willow Lane Students Exposed to Whooping Cough

East Penn School District reports that children may have been exposed to whooping cough.

Students at Willow Lane Elementary may have been exposed to a person with pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

Parents were notified about the potential pertussis exposure via a recorded message from Willow Principal Anthony Moyer, indicating that a parent volunteer had a confirmed case of pertussis, according to a Willow Lane parent who emailed Lower Macungie Patch.

The phone message referred parents to a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Health that was posted on the Willow Lane web site:

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It has come to our attention that your child may have been exposed to a person who has pertussis (whooping cough).

Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. Pertussis begins with cold symptoms and a cough which becomes much worse over 1-2 weeks.  Symptoms usually include a long series of coughs (“coughing fits”) followed by a whooping noise.  However, older children, adults and very young infants may not develop the whoop. People with pertussis may have a series of coughs followed by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching their breath.  The cough is often worse at night and cough medicines usually do not help alleviate the cough. The disease can be very severe and, although deaths are rare, they do occur especially in infants less than one year of age. Please refer to the information below. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s health promptly contact their doctor.

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