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PARK CITY — In a joint decision by Park City schools, parents and the health department, health workers say unvaccinated students are being asked to stay home for 21 days as a precaution to wait out the contagious period from first contact.
Summit County health officials say there are roughly 47 cases of pertussis spread throughout Park City elementary schools. Many of those children have received the vaccination and have experienced more moderate symptoms — resembling the common cold — as a result, officials said.
“So, 90 percent of the kids who have cold symptoms that were tested were negative for pertussis, and they were all vaccinated,” said Summit County Health Department Nursing Director Carolyn Rose, RN, MPH. “So, the vaccine works. I just want to stress that, that the vaccine does work.”
The district’s week-long spring break started Friday afternoon, but children who have not been vaccinated were sent home early to either wait out the incubation period or to get antibiotics from a doctor, health workers say.
“The purpose in doing what we do with excluding children and having others stay out of school when they're ill like this is to protect the babies in the community and also to protect those who are immuno-compromised,” Rose said.
Rose also reminded parents the vaccine for pertussis only protects for a limited amount of time. Children in the 3 to 10 age group need to get more rounds of booster shots for the vaccine to be fully protected.
