LMSD: Student With Pertussis "Doing Fine," Did Not Need Hospital Stay

An eighth-grader at has contracted pertussis, or whooping cough, parents and families learned Tuesday in a letter from the Montgomery County Health Department.

The student "is doing fine," did not require hospitalization and is expected to be back in school "soon," Lower Merion School District spokesman Doug Young told Patch Tuesday afternoon.

It is the district's fourth confirmed case of pertussis this school year and comes three months after a first-grader at Cynwyd Elementary School  with the illness in early March. The first two cases occurred at Gladwyne Elementary School in the fall, Young said.

The letter sent to parents Tuesday is virtually identical to the letter sent in that case—advising families to watch for symptoms, such as violent coughing fits and runny noses, over the next two weeks and to check that vaccinations are up to date.

Pertussis is spread through close contact with someone coughing, sneezing or suffering from a runny nose. Bala Cynwyd Middle School has 819 students and 131 staff, according to its website.

Pertussis typically is more dangerous to children 7 and younger. The first-grader affected in March was not hospitalized, officials said then.

A health department fact sheet about pertussis is attached to this article, as is the letter to parents.