Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Chicago Tribune
by Susan Berger

Health and school officials are pleased with the turnout in a weeklong effort to vaccinate students and staff against a whooping cough outbreak at New Trier Township High School this fall.

On Tuesday, the first day for student shots, 205 received the free vaccine. Staff members began being vaccinated Monday, and as of Tuesday 300 had come forward. The school also has received 175 notes from doctors verifying that students have been inoculated elsewhere.

"I am happy; that's a good start," said Dr. Catherine Counard, Cook County's assistant medical director for communicable disease.

She also said that Tuesday might be the slowest day because paperwork has to be turned in before shots are given.

The Cook County Department of Public Health provided the vaccines and 12 doctors and nurses to administer them at the Winnetka campus. Evanston Northwestern Healthcare provided four nurses to give vaccines to the staff at New Trier's Northfield Campus. Shots will be available all week.

As of Tuesday, 29 students and one teacher had come down with the highly contagious bacterial infection also known as pertussis. County health officials were prompted to provide the vaccinations upon learning that only 30 percent of juniors and seniors had received a booster vaccine since parents were urged in a Sept. 7 letter to have their children vaccinated.

County health officials warned that they could bar students from school who were not vaccinated if the outbreak wasn't brought under control at the 4,094-student school.

New Trier school nurse Colleen Kahler said parents are helping with the vaccination clinic by staffing sign-in tables and directing traffic.

Although the district postponed some athletic events last week, no other events have been canceled, District 203 Supt. Linda Yonke said.

Pertussis is spread by coughing or sneezing and is contagious from just before the onset of symptoms until three weeks later, unless treated with antibiotics. Symptoms resemble a common cold with a mild cough that becomes severe.

Although most people recover from pertussis, it is particularly dangerous to infants, who are at risk of pneumonia, seizure or death, Counard said.