(Photo: TDCB)
Five students at Moncton High School have been diagnosed with whooping cough.
With that many cases in one region, the Department of Public Health has declared an outbreak.
Dr. Yves Leger, regional Medical Officer of Health, says it’s not unusual for them to see 10 to 20 cases a year across the whole region.
But to have this many cases of pertussis (whooping cough) is very concerning.
This is a disease that can be contracted through droplets in the air.
“As soon as they start to have symptoms, they are contagious at that point. Obviously when they have a cough, they are more able to spread very small droplets that contain the bacteria.”
Dr. Leger says those who were diagnosed were not up to date on their booster for whooping cough.
Public health estimates that 20 to 30 per cent of the students at Moncton High hadn’t received that dose in Grade 7.
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