In the infrequently visited "Odd Health News" department, our little corner of NC has recently been experiencing an outbreak of pertussis--more commonly known as whooping cough. Our first inkling of trouble on the horizon came in the form of an electronic message that the kids' school sent in December, warning that a student had been diagnosed with the ailment, and providing information to share with a physician, should it rear its ugly head in one's own kid(s). At the time this was a curiosity, but not necessarily a cause for alarm, since we, personally, weren't aware of any sick friends or acquaintances.
However, a second notice showed up a few weeks ago, reporting that more cases had been identified...and this time, it was accompanied by an additional letter sent specifically to families whose child(ren) were likely to have been in contact with the infected parties, and therefore may have been exposed to the disease. Oh...GOODY. Now, while I definitely appreciated the heads-up, it raised further questions, since it didn't tell you whether it was the Freshman or the Senior class--or both--that was affected. Then another mom that we know posted on Facebook that her family had also received the unsettling communication...and we were therefore able to put two and two together to figure out who we should be watching for telltale signs of impending illness. (That would be the one called "Riley", by the way).
After that initial revelation, further details became available within the helpful parental grapevine, about some other 9th graders who'd unfortunately fallen victim to the highly communicable malady (even though, in order to enter Middle School, everyone had to prove that their vaccinations were complete and up-to-date, including the one that guards against this nasty bacteria. I guess that somehow the determined bug wiggled its way around the preventative medicine...sneaky bastard!)
Well, lemme tell ya, that was quite enough for me, thankyouverymuch. To avoid giving in to panic, I decided to drag the boys to their pediatrician to be tested; even thought neither one was displaying any of the early red flags, I thought it was a justified case of "better safe than sorry". So we got up early one day to arrive at the doctor's office in time for walk-in hours before school. The nurses greeted us wearing protective face masks--which isn't the least bit ominous, right?--due to the influx of potentially-contagious young humans.
They proceeded to stick a long-handled cotton swab up each of the boys' noses to obtain a testable sample...which appeared to be an unpleasant process...but not nearly as terrible as actually suffering with what I've heard described as a "hundred-day cough" (so, you know, there's THAT silver lining). Then Dr. W came in to talk to us, and after examining each of the kids, he announced that he would not, in fact, be sending their cultures to the lab, since the results wouldn't change the method of treatment, and therefore didn't matter. (Oops, sorry for the...unnecessary nostril invasion, guys!) He explained that he'd be following "exposure protocol", and prescribing a course of prophylactic antibiotics. Providing that they continued to be symptom-free, no further action would be required.
Alrighty, then! I dropped them off at the petri dish--um "High School"--in time for their first class, with strict instructions to turn around and sprint in the opposite direction if they spotted anyone who appeared to be actively coughing. And to be perfectly clear: by that I mean, even if it was an innocuous, "I have this tickle in my throat", mucus-clearing kind of deal. 'Cuz there's nothing like a good old fashioned public health emergency to bring out one's latent sense of self-preservation...Tiger Mommy protectiveness...oh yeah, and paranoia!
At this point I feel like asking, "Jeez, is it Spring yet?" I'll take pollen and sneezing over this circus situation ANY DAY! (Of course, if you remind me of those words in April, I will probably categorically deny having uttered them...) So here's to pharmaceuticals...and the end of the incubation period...everyone please keep your fingers crossed with us until then!
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