Public School district takes proactive approach to continued Whooping cough outbreak
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LETHBRIDGE – With back to school looming for families in Lethbridge, a whooping cough outbreak is ongoing in the South Zone of Alberta Health Services. Residents are encouraged to make sure they, and their children, have been immunized. 257 of 305 cases recorded in 2017 in the south are related to the current outbreak, and 588 in total have been recorded in the province.
Morag Asquith, Associate Superintendent for School District 51, says one of the issues is over the summer period, teachers and staff have no communication with families or students. “So during that vacuum of time is when most cases happen. In the lead up to back to school, AHS has provided us with some information to post on school websites to be proactive in dealing with whooping cough. Information on the booster clinics being provided from AHS next week is also included.”
Starting today (Aug 21), AHS will be offering booster doses of whooping immunization for children aged 10 to 12 in the area. These clinics are free, and only for children in this age range. The clinics will be at the CASA Lethbridge, located at 230 – 8th Street South, in the ATB Financial Community Room. Clinics begin on Monday, August 28th and run until Thursday, August 31st.
Asquith says anytime they have any illness in their schools, teachers know they must take those illnesses seriously. “Communicating home to parents is critical, and keeping the lines of communication open so that when parents are concerned they know they can reach out to talk about it. Whooping cough doesn’t necessarily present as concerning initially, which is why I believe AHS has taken such a proactive step. It’s been very helpful for our district because there’s many different symptoms that come into school on a day to day basis.”
