Pertussis, commonly known as the whooping cough has finally escaped the Northfield Campus and come to Winnetka, with two confirmed cases already and more expected to appear.
Pertussis is no stranger to New Trier. In 2006, pertussis caused a school wide panic, with over 30 cases reported. This led to New Trier requiring students to get the vaccine in order to attend.
Pertussis has already run wild over at Northfield, with a known 17 cases reported within its halls. Winnetka seemed immune at first, but with two cases recently being confirmed, it has finally come to these halls. Some, like school nurse Colleen Sheridan, weren’t surprised. “What most likely happened is that students at the Winnetka did have it, and their doctors simply didn’t test for it. The first symptoms are so similar to those of the common cold, so the doctors most likely just treated for that. They were treating the symptoms, and not actually testing to see if their patients had pertussis or not,” said Sheridan.
While it certainly seems that Pertussis is fond of New Trier, there’s no real conspiracy as to why. “I think it’s just as common here as it is everywhere else in Illinois. It’s not that kids at New Trier aren’t vaccinated, or just naturally more immune, it’s simply the vaccine itself. Unfortunately, the vaccine simply isn’t 100 percent effective. If the bacteria gets out, a certain percentage of the students are going to get it. Maybe this means that we need a new vaccine. In fact, I know they’re looking it, though it doesn’t seem like a whole lot of progress is being made with it” said Sheridan.
Student reactions are mixed. Some, like Junior Raj Khipple, don’t think it’s that big of a deal. “You can’t let sickness run your life. If everybody just uses common sense then it should all turn out fine. Yes, that means some people might not be able to make out or even hold hands for a few weeks, but it’s better than being sick” said Khipple.
Others, like Junior Alissa Baramovitch, are a little more worried. “I am a germaphobe, so this isn’t the best news for me. I already use purell all the time, so this is just one more thing for me to be afraid of. Now, anytime anybody coughs, I’m going to assume that it’s whooping cough. It’s just one more thing to stress out about” said Baramovitch.
Others didn’t even know there was one, and were grossly misinformed about the details. Junior Jake Leonard said, “I didn’t even know there was an outbreak. Still, if there is, I know that I’m safe. I mean, I’m vaccinated.” When informed that the vaccine wasn’t 100 percent effective, Leonard replied, “Oh. Well now I am scared. Thanks.”
One student even seemed excited about it. “Hey, maybe if it gets bad enough, they’ll let us out of school. Plus, it could be pretty cool if the school was like that movie Contagion. You know, with less dead bodies and stuff” said Junior Nick Anaclerio.
Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that is known for being extremely dangerous for infants. It has received the nickname “whooping cough” because when those with the disease attempt to breath after a coughing fit, it is said to sound like a whoop. The first symptoms are extremely similar to that of the common cold, with patients experiencing a slight fever and runny nose. The only way to know for sure whether someone has it is to run a test of the patients mucus, but this test takes some time, and so some doctors begin treating for the symptoms before they even know if their patients have it.
“The ways to protect yourself are very simple and basic. Wash your hands, don’t share straws, don’t share food, and get vaccinated. Oh, and try to avoid people who already have it, but that’s pretty obvious. Obviously vaccination is extremely important, but the one people seem to overlook is washing your hands. It takes so little time, and it is so effective at stopping the spread of disease. If everyone does those things, this shouldn’t be too big of a problem” said Sheridan.