Boise high school warns parents of possible exposure after outbreak of whooping cough
A Boise high school warned parents this week that their children may have been exposed to a highly contagious respiratory illness that has seen a “sharp increase” in cases in southern Idaho this year, according to health officials.
Timberline High School sent a notice to parents on Friday morning informing them that “a couple” cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, were diagnosed in students this week. The Idaho Statesman has reached out to Boise School District for an exact number of reported cases.
Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that attaches to lung tissue, damaging the lungs and creating swelling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s characterized by “rapid, violent and uncontrolled coughing fits,” the agency’s website says. Early on, it can appear similar to the common cold before developing into a severe cough that can cause vomiting, rib fractures and difficulty breathing.
The whooping cough nickname comes from the “whooping” noise a sick person makes when gasping for breath during a cough fit, the CDC reports.
The school recommended that parents talk to their child’s doctor about antibiotics if their child has asthma or another respiratory condition. Officials also asked parents to report possible whooping cough exposure to their child’s doctor if the child has a cold.
Anyone whose child is diagnosed with whooping cough is encouraged to notify the school, ask for a doctor’s note confirming the diagnosis and keep their child home until the child is no longer contagious.
Boise School District did not immediately respond when asked if cases have been confirmed in any of its other schools.
In many cases, whooping cough infection can be prevented if a person is vaccinated. Pertussis is part of the Tdap vaccine, a series of shots that also protect against tetanus and diphtheria. Vaccination can also prevent severe illness if a person does become sick.
Whooping cough cases spike in Idaho, US
Local health officials have warned since March of an increase in cases of the highly contagious illness, which spreads easily through coughing and sneezing.
Southern Idaho has experienced a more than 1,600% increase in whooping cough cases over the last year, according to a September news release from Idaho’s Central and Southwest health districts, which include Ada and Canyon counties.
By early September, the health districts reported 171 cases in 2024 versus 10 total cases for all of 2023. Two-thirds of this year’s cases were in school-age children.
Central District Health, which covers Ada, Elmore, Valley and Boise counties, has reported 190 cases as of Friday, district spokesperson Maria Ortega told the Statesman.
Last month, Southwest District Health epidemiologist Lekshmi Venugopal said health officials were “deeply concerned” by the outbreak.
Boise State University’s Sept. 21 home opener football game against Portland State was in jeopardy as many of the opposing team’s players were sick with whooping cough.
Cases of the respiratory illness have skyrocketed this year across the U.S., according to the CDC. The agency said cases dropped in recent years thanks to precautions taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, like social distancing and masking. As those practices have become less common, whooping cough cases are returning to pre-pandemic levels.
As of Oct. 19, the CDC had tallied five times as many whooping cough cases this year compared with the same time frame in 2023.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 12:45 PM.
