Kristi Kirk, the south campus nurse, sent out an email on Monday, January 22, to Arrowhead parents informing them that a freshman at South Campus  tested positive for pertussis, most commonly known as whooping cough.

The email states the following: “This is to inform you that your child may have been exposed to pertussis (whooping cough) at Arrowhead High School, your child is in a class with a student who tested positive for pertussis 1/20/18 but has been symptomatic since 1/10/18. In addition, you should be aware that pertussis is widespread throughout Waukesha County and the State of Wisconsin.”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Sciences, pertussis is a serious bacterial illness that can affect people of all ages, but is most serious in infants and young children. Throughout 2017, there were 610 cases of pertussis in Wisconsin, 425 confirmed and 185 suspected, and of those numbers, three percent had to receive hospitalization. The greatest numbers of cases came from Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Waukesha counties.

“I have seen a lot of people coughing,” says AHS sophomore Jesse Adams. “I assumed that everyone around me just had the common cold that came from the winter months, but now that someone has whooping cough at south, I’m going to be so much more paranoid about getting sick.”

WebMD says that pertussis occurs in three stages: in stage one, symptoms are like that of a cold, with runny roses and a mild cough; in stage two, the cold systems get better while the cough gets worse; then in stage 3, the cough may get louder, and coughing fits may happen on and off for weeks.

“Pertussis is spread through the air on droplets of saliva when a person is coughing or sneezing,” says Kirk. “An infected person can spread pertussis up to three weeks after the cough begins if they are not treated with antibiotics. To prevent high schoolers from getting this disease, I recommend making sure you received your Tdap vaccination – tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis. Have good hand washing techniques, and do not share food or drinks with any other students. Janitors continued to clean the classroom of the student with whooping cough after school hours.”

“I hate being sick but I do know that if I were to get sick, I wouldn’t miss school. Whooping cough may be rough, but missing school is even worse,” says Adams.