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Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 |
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Effects of whooping cough remain mild
BOBBY GUERETTE
ORIENT STAFF
Although over two dozen students have requested treatment for whooping cough, medical officials are optimistic and feel that the situation has not reached a grave level.
"There is no evidence that a greater outbreak is brewing," College physician Dr. Jeff Benson said Wednesday. "We are still monitoring the situation very closely, however."
According to Benson, the Health Center has confirmed a total of two cases, and are still waiting for final test results on four "highly probable" cases. 25 people have been treated preventively. Preventive treatment consists of the same medicine that probable and confirmed victims receive.
There have been no new or probable cases since Thanksgiving break, Benson said. He is unable to pinpoint a specific cause for the upturn.
"It may be that we've only had sporadic cases, and not the makings of a real outbreak," he said. Containment may have also been due to public knowledge and early treatment. Or, he said, "we just plain lucked out!"
Benson advises students to keep up a level of caution. "We may not be done with Pertussis at all this fall, and we need to remain cautious and vigilant," he said.
His recommendations include shielding sneezes and coughs, washing hands regularly, and seeking prompt medical attention if symptoms develop. Whooping cough starts with a prolonged cough that lasts at least two weeks. Victims may experience cough-induced vomiting, according to Benson.
Just over two weeks ago, Benson announced in an email that there was one confirmed case and several suspected cases of whooping cough on campus. Since the Thanksgiving holiday was just around the corner, medical officials were worried that the infection could spread to elderly relatives, babies, and those with compromised immune systems. Under state law, the Health Center was required to immediately report the case to the Maine Bureau of Health. The Bureau then consulted officials here and made recommendations, according to assistant state epidemiologist Geoff Beckett.
Benson said that not all confirmed and suspected victims had contact with the original victim. This reinforces the theory that the cases were sporadic and not part of a defined outbreak, he said.
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