As you know, St. John Fisher College recently reported an outbreak of pertussis on campus. Pertussis, commonly recognized as whooping cough, is a communicable disease. The best prevention against this illness is frequent hand washing and covering your mouth when you cough.
Monroe County Health Department works together with Health Services to monitor the incidence and treatment of this disease. Health Services will keep the college community informed of confirmed public health risks present on campus. The infection causes significant coughing spells, and can last 6-8 weeks. Infants and older adults are at increased risk for complications from the illness. Healthy adults often have a much milder form of the disease. The illness is treated through antibiotics to reduce the spread of the infection,
For further information, see the Center for Disease Control's website. https://www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/pertussis/
Donna Mueller
Health Services
10/18/2005 |