Friday, November 16, 2007

Whoopdidoo!!

For the past 2 or 3 weeks, there has been a Whooping Cough outbreak in our school district. The majority of the cases are in the high schools (49 out of the 55 reported cases) with the other 6 scattered throughout the rest of the district.

I haven't really been too concerned about it because the preschool Jake and Emma go to is actually in another district. On top of that, I think we are the only people at the preschool from our district so I didn't really think about "cross-contamination" or anything like that.

Because I live in a bubble...and it burst yesterday

The preschool has had 2 reported cases of Whooping Cough in the last 3 days. Just to give you an idea of how that might affect us: there are 4 rooms in the preschool (basically, it's one hallway of our church). Jake's and Emma's classes occupy the rooms on the left side of the hall. The kids who are sick are in the classrooms on the right side of the hall. Because Jake is in the 4 year old class, he actually gets to switch rooms once a day with the class...across the hall.

Have I ever mentioned I'm a hypochondriac? If I get a hangnail, I'm convinced that in a week I'll drop over dead of pneumonia (which I found out yesterday our pastor has). Evidently hypochondria crosses generational lines because know i just "KNOW" that Jake and Emma will both have Whooping Cough within the week. Never mind that they don't actually have to go back to school next week because of Thanksgiving. I just "KNOW" that they are going to get it.

Did you know that Whooping Cough has a 9-21 day incubation period? And that it can last for 2-10 weeks? And that it sounds like this? And that it can cause cracked ribs and pneumonia?

Even anyone has any spare surgical masks and Lysol that you could send my way, I would be most appreciative.

3 reviews:

Karen said...

Just wondering....were the kids who got pertussis in the preschool unvaccinated? Are your kids vaccinated? It's usually the most serious for babies. Not that it's fun for anyone else, but it's usually not life threatening like it is for babies.

Scribbit said...

Too nasty! You would have thought all those DPT vaccines would have prevented it. We had a measles outbreak a couple years ago (well, 8) and everyone was panicking then.

cynderloowho said...

Cory had whooping cough when he was little...became very well acquainted with Vicks Vapor rub and the strategic placement of a vaporizer....oh and you do rock my world.