Whooping cough hits three day care centers

PORTLAND – Hundreds of parents, teachers and children are receiving antibiotics amid reports of whooping cough at three day care centers in Maine.

Day care centers have reported one case of pertussis apiece in Portland and Lewiston, and there have been two cases at a day care center in New Gloucester.

“Part of this may just be random chance, but we’re also looking to see if there is any connection between the sites,” said Dr. Andrew Pelletier, epidemiologist in the state’s Division of Infectious Disease in Augusta.

Whooping cough, which is highly contagious and dangerous to infants, starts out like a cold but leads to coughing fits that sometime end in a high-pitched “whoop.” The coughing usually lasts several weeks.

The sick children have been given antibiotics and parents have been asked to keep children home for five days if they’re showing any coldlike symptoms. Treatment also is recommended for people who have come into contact with the victims.

Twenty-eight people connected to the Portland site are receiving treatment, as are 44 people linked with the Lewiston location and 30 people with New Gloucester, Pelletier said.

Whooping cough is considered so dangerous that children are vaccinated starting at 2 months, followed by booster shots until they are 6. But immunity eventually diminishes. So older children, adolescents and adults are at greatest risk of catching it.