Island Health sent a letter to parents and guardians of kids taking the Greenglade Community Centre pottery class in Sidney informing them of a case of pertussis or whooping cough recently recorded at the centre.
The advisory was sent out on Thursday, March 21st, and stated that the individual diagnosed with pertussis was taking a pottery class which ran from Monday, March 18th to Friday, March 22nd.
Earlier this month, the first case of whooping cough in Victoria this year was recorded at Mount Douglas Secondary School in Saanich, prompting Island Health to issue a letter to parents of students attending the institution.
See also:
- Whooping cough case confirmed at Mount Douglas Secondary School
- Facebook launches measures to combat the spread of vaccine misinformation
Symptoms of pertussis include flu-like features which progress into severe coughing with a distinctive ‘whooping’ sound that can last for several weeks.
People diagnosed with whooping cough are required to undergo five days of antibiotic treatment before they are no longer infectious and can return to school/work.
The Island Health letter called for parents to ensure that their children are up to date with their immunizations against pertussis.
Vaccines for the infection are typically administered during their first year of life, after 18 months, upon entering kindergarten, and an additional booster shot in grade 9.
It is unclear whether or not the individual diagnosed with whooping cough at Greenglade Community Centre was immunized against the infection.
According to Island Health Communications member Shannon Marshall, there have been a total of five reported cases of whooping cough on Vancouver Island this month.
