A whooping cough outbreak in Floyd County has forced one school to close for the week and sent close to 30 people to doctors for treatment. Blue Mountain School, an alternative coed school, appears to be at the outbreak’s center. As News/Talk 960’s Evan Jones reports, Floyd County’s whooping cough rate is usually higher than statewide averages.
[audio:https://wfirnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/04-06-Whooping-Cough-Wrap1-WEB.mp3|titles=04-06 Whooping Cough Wrap1-WEB]
Health officials say most of the patients in this outbreak are children, but there are some adults in the mix. Doctor Molly O’Dell, the state Health Department’s New River Valley District Director, says people of any age can and should be vaccinnated against whooping cough. The health department recommends that anyone who has come in contact with a whooping cough patient start taking antibiotics as a precaution.
O’Dell says statewide, about 70 whooping cough cases were reported between January and March, but in Floyd County alone, the number is 20 to 30 in the last two weeks.
Click here for Virginia Department of Health whooping cough information.
