Department of Health: Despite East Lyme Breakout, Whooping Cough At Ten-Year Low

Thursday, East Lyme Superintendent James Lombardo sent out a letter to parents, informing them that there were cases of pertussis – aka the whooping cough – at East Lyme High School and Flanders Elementary School.

Today, the Connecticut Department of Health confirmed that there have been four confirmed cases of pertussis in East Lyme. However, there have only been 39 cases of pertussis reported this year in Connecticut, and the state is expecting to see the lowest amount of cases of pertussis this year in a decade, according to the Connecticut Department of Health.

“The number of reported cases of pertussis varies from year to year,” Chris Stan, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Health, said in a statement to Patch. “This year, Connecticut is on track to see the lowest number of pertussis cases it has seen in over ten years. So far in 2013, there have been 39 cases of pertussis reported, in comparison to 156 reported cases around this time last year.”

Connecticut requires that all students who attend public school get vaccinated against pertussis. Despite those vaccinations, cases of pertussis still happen and often happen in clusters, as the disease is highly contagious, according to the department of health.

“It is important that parents vaccinate and get the recommended booster doses for their children to protect them from pertussis,” Stan’s statement read. “Pregnant women should also receive a booster dose towards the end of each pregnancy to help protect the baby from pertussis in the early newborn period.”

Pertussis is spread by a bacterium through the air and can cause death, particularly to infant children. To learn more about pertussis, click here.