Whooping Cough Outbreak in Londonderry Schools

A staff member at Londonderry Middle School has been diagnosed with pertussis, and students who have not been immunized are being asked to stay home from school.

In a letter to parents, Londonderry Superintendent Nathan Greenberg said this is the third case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, at Londonderry Middle School this year. That qualifies it as an outbreak, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

[Greenberg's full letter is attached as a PDF to the right of this story.]

Students who are not immunized are being asked to stay home from school, according to School Board policy. Greenberg said school staff called all 13 families Monday night who have children who are not immunized. They will have to miss the last four days of school. Friday is the last day of school in Londonderry.

Greenberg said it is possible there could be other cases of pertussis in the next few days, as it is highly contagious.

Back in May, Greenberg had sent home a letter to parents advising that a student at the school had been diagnosed with pertussis. He said a second student was diagnosed last week.

Whooping cough is spread by direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person or by breathing in droplets in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be spread by sharing eating utensils and drink containers.

Symptoms usually begin 10 to 14 days after exposure. It begins like a cold, with a runny nose, low-grade fever and a cough that becomes worse over one to two weeks, at which point it develops into severe coughing spells. Symptoms usually include a long series of coughs, followed by a whooping sound. This stage of the disease lasts one to six weeks or longer.

Whooping cough is contagious until three weeks after the severe coughing begins. Treatment with antibiotics is also recommended for household members and close contacts.