Whooping cough
Dear parents and carers,
As you may be aware, our school is managing a number of whooping cough cases. Whooping cough is a serious and very contagious respiratory infection. It should be diagnosed by a doctor and treated immediately to lessen the risk of a serious illness and stop the spread to others.
The health and safety of our school community is paramount, and we aim to protect all of us at Solway Primary School and ensure that students can return to school as soon as they are well. Please monitor your child for symptoms of whooping cough.
Symptoms of whooping cough include a blocked or runny nose, tiredness, mild fever and severe bouts of coughing, which are often followed by a 'whooping' sound on breathing.
If you child becomes unwell, please see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.
Students diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend school
To reduce the spread of infection and protect others within the school community, students who are diagnosed with whooping cough must not attend our school for 21 days after their cough was first present, or until they have taken a full course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor (usually a 5-day course). This exclusion is required by the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 – School exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services.
If your child is diagnosed with whooping cough, please contact the school to let us know.
Contacts of students diagnosed with whooping cough
To further reduce the spread of infection to your child and the school community, the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 require that some students who were in the same classroom as a student diagnosed with whooping cough should not attend school.
Your child should not attend school for 14 days after they were last exposed to a person diagnosed with whooping cough, or until they have 5 days of a course of antibiotic treatment if they are:
- aged less than 7 years; and
- not fully vaccinated with 3 doses of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine.
This 14-day exclusion timeframe includes weekends. The school will contact you directly if this applies to your family.
I understand that this will be a significant inconvenience for you and your child. I hope we can work together to protect the whole school community by following the recommended advice.
Unwell students
As is our usual procedure, we will contact parents/carers to collect their child if they become unwell at school.
If your child develops a cough or you are concerned about their health, please see a doctor. Please keep your child at home while they are unwell. We encourage all students to practice good hand hygiene, cover their cough and dispose of tissues in a bin.
The Great Solway Mystery school production
Based on the advice from the North East Public Health Unit, our school’s production of The Great Solway Mystery will proceed at The Besen Centre this Thursday, 29 August, at 7pm.
However, North East Public Health Unit has advised that families should reconsider attending the event if they have family members who are unwell, or they have a baby aged six months or less.
Please be aware that vaccination does wane over time and everyone, particularly vulnerable people and pregnant women, is recommended to stay up to date with their vaccinations, including booster doses, and seek medical attention early if symptoms of pertussis occur.
More information
For more information about whooping cough, see: Whooping cough - Better Health Channel.
Vaccination is the most important preventive measure against whooping cough as it reduces the risk of infection and severe illness. It is recommended to stay up to date with immunisations, including booster doses. If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination status for whooping cough, please discuss with an immunisation provider, such as your doctor.
I really appreciate your support and thank you for working with us to ensure a speedy return to school for students.
Kind regards,
Kate Nancarrow
Principal