Cases of whooping cough confirmed in two Lexington high schools, health department says

Cases of whooping cough were confirmed Friday at two Lexington high schools, Bryan Station High School and Lexington Catholic High School.

One case of pertussis was confirmed at each school, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department said in a news release Friday afternoon.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial illness that is spread by coughing or sneezing. It can affect anyone of any age, but pertussis can be most serious in infants and people with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, the health department said. Babies under six months old who contract whooping cough must often be hospitalized.

Officials are recommending that students be treated with preventative antibiotics if they’ve been exposed to whooping cough and have a weakened immune system or chronic illness, live with someone else who fits that description, or live with an infant or pregnant woman.

“Any school-age children with symptoms of pertussis should stay home from school and visit their health care provider for evaluation, even if they have previously been vaccinated,” the health department said in the release. “If found to have probable or confirmed pertussis, they should remain out of school until completion of their antibiotics. For more information about pertussis, call 859-288-2437.”

The health department sent letters to parents of students at both schools to alert them to the threat of illness.

The letter indicated that anyone in the affected schools could have been exposed, and kids who develop a cough should see a doctor.

“It is very important not to ignore the symptoms,” the letter stated.

Pertussis symptoms begin like a common cold, with sneezing, runny nose, coughing and low-grade fever, but after a week or two, the cough may worsen, “changing from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable, sometimes violent, coughing” that can tire the patient and sometimes even result in vomiting, the release stated.

The term “whooping cough” comes from the sound patients may make when they are finally able to get a breath of air after a coughing episode.

The pertussis vaccine, administered along with vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus, is given in a series to young children and is required before kids enter school. Kids must also get a booster before entering middle school.

The health department says immunity can wane over time, so pregnant women should get a booster, and teens or adults who have never received the vaccine should contact their health care provider or the health department about getting it.

The last confirmed cases of pertussis among school-aged children in Lexington were in February 2022, said health department spokesman Kevin Hall.