Whooping Cough Case Raises Concerns

Parents said they were aware a youngster at the Waldorf school’s lower campus on Nogal Drive has been diagnosed with pertussis, better known as whooping cough.

The early education classroom rents space at Vieja Valley Elementary School.

That has Public Health officers concerned. Susan Klein-Rothschild said 50-percent of the children at the private school are not vaccinated for the contagious bacterial disease that causes fits of coughing.

The upper campus on Fairview Avenue shares space with Goleta Union School District Office.

One parent who has not vaccinated his daughter said he would be talking to a Naturopathic physician this week to decide what to do.

Parents who don’t vaccinate their children are worried about side effects, but public health doctors say the benefits outweigh the risks.

The vaccine known as T-DAP is required for all 7th graders in California. Children usually get five boosters between the ages of 2 months and 15 years.

Santa Barbara County Public Health officers said there have been 25 confirmed cases so far this year, up from 21 last year.

Pertussis can be deadly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the World Health Organization both recommend getting vaccinated.