MCDH Works to Combat Whooping Cough Outbreak

The McHenry County Department of Health has upped communication with school nurses and planned vaccination clinics over the next week in hopes of quieting a growing number of whooping cough cases cropping up at area schools. 

There are currently 32 students from six different McHenry County schools with confirmed cases of whooping cough, said the health department’s community information coordinator Debra Quackenbush in an e-mail response Tuesday evening.  

The majority of cases — 25 — have been reported among Cary Grove High School students while ,  and  in Cary each have one case.  in Cary and  in Crystal Lake each have two confirmed cases.

“We are in close, sometimes daily, contact with many school nurses who have cases in their schools,” Quackenbush said. 

Quackenbush said the majority of the students had been vaccinated. The health department is still working to gather information on each of the cases and is waiting on more results to come back this week, she said.

In the mean time, the health department continues to get the word out on how to prevent the spread of whooping cough. Much of the advice is common sense: be sure to wash hands, cover your mouth when you cough and stay home if sick.

“If a cough appears for more than a few days, go to the doctor.  Be sure to keep children up to date on vaccinations.  Keep children home if they are being treated for pertussis until they have completed the full treatment regime,” Quackenbush said.

The Center for Disease Control provides more information on whooping cough on its website.

Vaccination Clinics Held in Coming Days 

The health department also announced Tuesday it had partnered with Dominick’s Pharmacy to offer the whooping cough vaccine, Tdap, at walk-in clinics in coming days. The clinics will be held at:

• Algonquin Township Office, 3702 U.S. Highway 15 in Crystal Lake on Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• McHenry County Department of Health, 100 N. Virginia Street in Crystal Lake on Nov. 9 from 3 to 7 p.m.

The cost for the vaccination is $50 per individual. Medicaid is accepted for children ages 11 to 18 years old. The vaccinations cost $15 for uninsured and underinsured children ages 11 to 18 years old and, with proof of income, for uninsured adults ages 19 and older that meet income requirements.