Woodland Public Schools officials sent letters home to families Wednesday alerting them to four confirmed cases of whooping cough in the district and warning that students might have been exposed.
In the letter home, the district wrote that whooping cough, or pertussis, “is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air by coughing” and is often severe in small infants.
Pertussis symptoms typically begin with cold-like symptoms and a cough that worsens over a week or two. As the disease progresses, those with whooping cough might experience coughing fits, followed by a “whooping” noise, vomiting and difficulty catching their breath.
The letter, which was signed by Superintendent Michael Green, was sent home with students to all parents and guardians in the entire school district, according to Eric Jacobsen, spokesman for the district.
School officials were informed of the pertussis confirmation on Monday, Jacobsen said, adding that there are confirmed cases at Woodland Primary School, Woodland Intermediate School, Woodland Middle School and Woodland High School.
The district is asking parents to:
• Monitor their child for the next three weeks for cold-like symptoms and to bring their child to their doctor for pertussis infection if the child develops a cough, fever or other signs of respiratory illness.
• Speak with their doctor if they have a child younger than 1 who could have been exposed to pertussis about getting antibiotics even if the child does not exhibit symptoms; antibiotics will prevent an exposed infant from developing the illness and must be taken as soon as possible after exposure.
• Speak to their doctor about getting antibiotics if they are pregnant, especially in their third trimester.
• Bring in the letter from the district if they go see a doctor due to any symptoms of whooping cough
For any other questions, families are asked to call Channtel Miller, the district’s nurse, at 360-841-2837.
Whooping cough in Clark County
In December, Hudson’s Bay High School sent a similar letter to parents after cases of whooping cough were confirmed in the district. At the time, Hudson’s Bay was the eighth local school between Oct. 1 and Dec. 16 to have identified cases of whooping cough, according to Clark County Public Health at the time.
