Parents of primary school pupils in a Cork City primary school have been urged to check that their children’s vaccinations are up to date.
The warning comes on foot of a suspected case of whooping cough at the school.
Letters have been sent to the parents of the 220 children attending Scoil Iosaf Naofa in Crab Lane, Ballintemple, after a possible case of the highly infectious disease was identified.
The Irish Examiner reports this morning that HSE senior medical officer Dr Mary Kieran warns that children not vaccinated against whooping cough are most at risk.
“Whooping cough is a lung infection that can be very serious in young infants and in children with lung or heart problems or other chronic illness. Possible complications include pneumonia, seizures, and brain damage,” Dr Kieran told the newspaper.
Concerns that the pupils may be exposed to whooping cough comes as the number of cases of the disease continues to rise in Ireland as well as internationally.
By November of this year, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre had been notified of 416 cases including two infant deaths from the disease. It is a 104% increase on the 203 cases reported in 2011.
This is not the first time the Crab Lane school has had to deal with a breakout from a highly contagious respiratory disease. Two years ago, a case of tuberculosis was identified which eventually led to seven cases of the respiratory disease at the school.
Whooping cough usually starts with a mild chesty cough that develops into a severe cough. There may be a whoop sound after a cough but it is not always present.
Spasms of coughing can cause vomiting in infants, and young children may have a runny nose and a pause in their breathing but little cough.
The illness usually develops seven to 10 days after exposure to the illness. Parents have been advised to contact their GP if their child develops a cough. Taking the correct antibiotic as soon as symptoms start can help stop the illness from spreading.
Immunisation is the most effective way to prevent infection and limit the spread of the illness.
The Herald recently reported that three babies died of whooping cough in October amid the biggest outbreak in the UK in 20 years.
