It was sobering news Barton County Health Director Shelly Schneider delivered to the County Commission Monday morning. The county, she said, is in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak.
There are five cases of pertussis in the county, she said. And, sadly, the disease has caused one death in the county in the past month.
We are not alone in this. There are other hot spots in Kansas and there are places where the problem has ebbed.
The good news is that we are not at a point where any quarantines are necessary. Instead, Schneider said we just need to practice a little common sense.
Parents of children who may have whooping cough symptoms (violent coughing spells and a fever) should keep the kids home, she said. Also, parents should make sure their children’s immunizations are current.
Kids are the only ones who need their shots. Adults should also make sure their vaccinations are up to date.
Pertussis is highly contagious. One only has to have been standing as close as three feet away from an infected person to be at risk.
As we’ve seen, this is a potential deadly disease. These precautions must be taken to protect the most vulnerable among us – the young and the elderly.
We are our best line of defense.
Dale Hogg