In a previous story on whooping cough, we reported that Des Plaines was in the area of the state that has experienced the largest increase in reported cases of the disease, which is also known as pertussis.
There have been six cases of whooping cough reported in Community Consolidated School District 62 so far this year, said Mindy Ward, director of community relations for the district. Ward said there were no cases reported in the 2010-2011 school year, and couldn’t recall a case being reported the year before that.
In an email to Patch Ward wrote that the County Health Department notifies the district when a case is diagnosed, and the district sends a letter prepared by the health department to families at schools with reported cases.
“Our staff does not do anything different, because we maintain cleanliness procedures and practices consistently throughout the school year,” Ward wrote. “Last year, H1N1 was a reminder of the importance of personal and environmental hygiene. Personal hygiene posters are displayed in student and staff washrooms and our maintenance personnel are on top of this.”
Earlier: District 207’s class ranks eliminated.
One case of whooping cough was reported at Maine West High School in December, and no new cases have been reported in the district since that time, said David Beery, director of communications.
Beery said there were no cases reported in District 207 high schools during the 2010-2011 school year, and there have been no cases at Maine West High School for the last few years. The last case reported at Maine East High School was in 2006, he said.
