RSU 21 confirms whooping cough case at Sea Road School in Kennebunk

Staff report
·2 min read

KENNEBUNK — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, at Sea Road School.

RSU 21 Superintendent Terri Cooper sent home a letter Friday to the elementary school's parents and guardians in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease. Pertussis is an illness that is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. It usually begins with symptoms of a common cold (sore throat and runny nose) and often develops into a severe cough after a few weeks. The cough can last for several weeks or more.

A nurse prepares a vaccine against whooping cough. Pertussis vaccine is administered to children in combination with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (DTaP) in a five-dose series and protects children against whooping cough.
A nurse prepares a vaccine against whooping cough. Pertussis vaccine is administered to children in combination with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (DTaP) in a five-dose series and protects children against whooping cough.

Cooper stated, "if your child has a severe cough (may include coughing to the point of gagging, vomiting after coughing or difficulty breathing) or a prolonged cough lasting two weeks or longer, please keep your child home and contact your healthcare provider."

If your provider suspects pertussis, Cooper said they will obtain a specimen to be sent for testing.

More:Middle School of the Kennebunks, Marshwood High hit with flu, RSV and COVID

The Maine CDC advises that students, who have a lab-confirmed or provider-diagnosed pertussis infection, should stay home from school until they have completed five days of appropriate antibiotics. The CDC states students suspected of having pertussis with lab results pending should also stay home until a test result is negative, or if positive after completing five days of antibiotics.

Most children are vaccinated against pertussis, but it is still possible for vaccinated children to become ill, according to the CDC.

Maine had the second-highest rate of pertussis in the U.S. in 2019 at more than 28 cases per 100,000 residents. The state is on track to record about seven cases per 100,000 this year, the Portland Press Herald reported. That figure is much closer to the national average.

In 2019, Maine took away philosophical and religious exemptions from school vaccine requirements with a law that was upheld by voters in a March 2020 referendum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RSU 21 confirms whooping cough case at Sea Road School in Kennebunk