COLORADO SPRINGS — An outbreak of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, has been traced back to seventh-grade students from Jenkins Middle School.
Seventh-graders who attended Jenkins Middle School are currently at Doherty High School after structural damages to the middle school led to the school's closure earlier this January.
Although El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH) did not provide the number of confirmed cases, according to their definitions, an outbreak involves two or more confirmed cases.
The EPCPH says pertussis/whooping cough is a bacterial respiratory infection that's spread when people are in contact with an infected person who is actively coughing.
The infection typically develops a week to 10 days after exposure but can grow as long as 21 days after initial exposure.
Since it is most commonly spread through extended periods in confined spaces, whooping cough can be spread through "classrooms, in meetings, among participants of extracurricular activities, and in similar types of settings," according to EPCPH.
According to EPCPH, symptoms include;
- runny nose
- mild cough developing into a more serious cough with coughing fits
- the infected person appears/feels fine between coughing fits
- coughing accompanied by vomiting, breathlessness, a change in facial color, and/or a whooping sound
Jenkins Middle School and EPCPH are encouraging parents to monitor their child/children for any symptoms and to take them to a healthcare provider if they have any of the above symptoms.
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