The North Penn School District has confirmed a case of pertussis — whooping cough — in a student at Pennbrook Middle School in Upper Gwynedd.the case was reported to the Montgomery County Health Department on Thursday and was found in a Pennbrook eighth-grader, according to a letter to students from school Principal James Galante posted Monday afternoon.In the letter, Galante tells parents that the county health department urges all students be observed over the next two weeks for possible symptoms, including a running nose or sudden uncontrollable bursts of coughing.all sick children should be seen by a pediatrician for evaluation, including a nasopharyngeal (upper throat) culture for pertussis.the letter also asks parents to check the vaccination status of their students, keep infants away from anybody with a cough, and treat all household members with antibiotics if a child is diagnosed with pertussis.Included with the letter is a pertussis fact sheet written by the county health department with a description of symptoms, methods of treatment, and best ways to prevent the disease.the letter is available on the school’s website, npenn.org/pennbrookms/.According to the county health department fact sheet, pertussis is caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, which is found in the nose, mouth and throat of an infected person, and more than 200 cases per year are reported in Pennsylvania.the disease can occur at any age but is usually seen in children, and symptoms start as a cold-like illness with sneezing, a runny nose, low-grade fever and mild coughing that gets worse.some cases produce episodes of rapid coughing followed by a high-pitched whoop as one takes a deep breath, but that does not occur in every case.the cough can continue for weeks, even during treatment, and complications from pertussis can include pneumonia, dehydration, seizures, encephalopathy (a brain disorder) and death, according to the county fact sheet.Treatment is usually based around antibiotics, but the best control measure is vaccination.For more information or if you have concerns, contact the county health department’s Division of Communicable Disease Control at 610-278-5117.
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