Escondido student diagnosed with whooping cough

SAN DIEGO - A 5-year-old kindergarten student at an Escondido Elementary School was diagnosed with whooping cough, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced Tuesday.

HHSA and school officials have sent letters to the parents of all 114 kindergarten students at Pioneer Elementary School informing them about the highly contagious disease that causes severe coughing.

“Parents of kindergarten students are encouraged to watch for cough symptoms and to contact their physician if they or their children develop a persistent cough within the next two weeks,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer.

The infected student was immunized and has completed treatment, according to the HHSA.

“No vaccine provides 100 percent protection against infections, but if a person does get the disease after being vaccinated it is often less severe,”Wooten said.

There were 51 cases of whooping cough reported in the county last year. So far this year, there have been 27 cases.

Tags: SDNN

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