Eastbayri.com

BARRINGTON — Late last week an official from the Rhode Island Department of Health said there were 16 children in Barrington who had been diagnosed with whooping cough. That's double the number of confirmed cases from about a week earlier.

On Friday, Jan. 13, Rhode Island Department of Health Spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said there were 16 children in Barrington who had been diagnosed with whooping cough, which is an extremely contagious disease caused by a bacterial infection in the lungs.

A local pediatrician first contacted the health department on Dec. 22 after diagnosing a local child with the illness, although another doctor in town said the first case was actually recognized prior to Thanksgiving.

By Jan. 9, a total of eight students at Barrington Middle School and Hampden Meadows had been diagnosed with whooping cough and state officials said they were anticipating even more cases in the near future.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, officials said a female student at the high school had been diagnosed with whooping cough, which is also called pertussis. And on Thursday and Friday, the health department held a pair of vaccination clinics at the high school. Hundreds of residents turned out for the clinics.

Symptoms of pertussis, which is a vaccine-preventable disease, include a cough lasting more than two weeks and worsening to include whooping, short periods without breathing, or gagging or vomiting after coughing spells. The disease can be especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems and for young infants.

"Anyone with symptoms of pertussis should be tested by his or her healthcare provider,” said Director of Health Michael Fine, MD. “The best protection against pertussis is to get vaccinated, so any child who is not up-to-date on his or her pertussis vaccination should be vaccinated. We want to make sure that any infant younger than age one, any pregnant woman, or anyone with a weakened immune system who may have been exposed to someone with pertussis also sees his or her healthcare provider for evaluation, testing, and treatment.”

Health officials said people with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of pertussis should stay out of work, school, or child care until they have been on antibiotics for at least five days.