May 9, 2008
Whooping Cough Outbreak Closes El Sobrante School
A whooping cough outbreak has affected over 20 students at East Bay Waldorf School in El Sobrante, effectively shutting it down. Whooping cough, an illness normally thought of as an infant's, hits its victims with "severe coughing spells that end in a 'whooping' sound when the person breathes in."
Ick.
School will reopen on Monday, but students can return to class only if they have proof that they are taking antibiotics and are symptom-free.
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Immunize your kids. If you can afford to see a doctor and get your shots, please visit and ask her/him about a series of boosters. We live in a place where global tourists and immigrants travel to and their microbes travel with them.
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Does whooping cough sound like an Arsenio Hall audience of yore?
My son goes to EBWS and I must say they handled the whole thing badly. Back in November there was at least one case of pertussis, which was essentially ignored. Several more cases erupted in the last few months, and which elicited a decidedly laissez faire attitude about the whole thing from the administration.
It took a visit yesterday from the Contra Costa County Health Department to get the school's attention. CoCo County basically told the school to shut down immediately and get everyone on antibiotics.