We got a letter in the mail too a few years ago when my kids’ school had an outbreak. Standard I think.
I had pertussis when my daughter was a preschooler (I think from a child in her class), I never had a booster, no idea why, but I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
Fingers crossed everyone stays healthy.
I’m sorry; this is really tough.
I could be in your same shoes.
(I don’t think I’m going to be, but it was close.)
You can still get it if you are vaccinated, this happened to my daughter when she was in 4th grade (but that’s a more vulnerable time because it’s at the tail end of the last vaccine before the next booster). She was sick with a croup like cough for about a month - it was awful. But high school age the vaccine is fresher, so hopefully you don’t have to worry…
Sorry to add stress, but TdaP immunity wanes, which is why these outbreaks occur. Making it worse, it starts similarly to many viral illnesses and the cough isn’t the classic whoop in teens and adults so people tend to walk around with it. I think it is ridiculous the notification came by mail. Crossing my fingers it wasn’t a close contact!
Same issue here. Our school’s instagram page names both the school and the major the person has. My D25 is still technically choosing between 2 schools, but seeing all of the students at one “state flagship” that already has about 20 students listed including 2 that are supposedly in her competitive major is a huge letdown. D25 KNOWS those 2 students didn’t get into that major and are just hoping to transfer in later. But others wouldn’t know that is the case, so it feels less special to her to go to that “state flagship”. I suspect she will pull the trigger on the “far away flagship” later this week. She is proud she actually got into that major, but in general this “state flagship” admits everyone, but has a few extremely competitive majors that hardly no one gets.
There is also a general feeling that you can only be proud of certain schools.
Definitely.
Added to this is that the excitement level changes if a student ends up at a school they didn’t think they were going to attend. My daughter’s top choice when she was going into this? She voluntarily eliminated it back in February. She realized it wasn’t really a good fit for her even though she loves the location and the campus. The culture was off though.
Someone up thread mentioned how their student has matured and grown and changed during the process and that makes an impact as well.
Does it wane for pertussis? I know I’ve had to have another for tetanus (I think it’s every ten years) but didn’t realize the other waned too.
Do you get fever and body aches with this?
Yes for pertussis. Lots of talk about pertussis immunity and vaccination strategies. Too detailed to get into here but likely alot to do with change from whole cell product (DTP) that we got when we were kids to the acellular products (the little a in DTaP and TdaP). Tradeoff between side effects and effectiveness. I believe tetanus stays strong although guidelines for certain dirty wounds call for repeat tetanus in that setting if greater than 5 years since last one. Still good vaccines, but have their limitations and I don’t see us going back to whole cell products. Not worth the side effects.
Edited to add. I am a pediatrician. Also I apologize in advance for typos. I am on my phone and have old eyes.
You can get a fever and maybe feel achy and fatigued, but more like common cold than the flu. It is pretty much indistinguisable from a cold at the beginning which makes it nearly impossible to diagnose in the first 1 to 2 weeks before the cough comes in. Pertussis in babies is very scary. They can just stop breathing or turn blue. I have seen this ans treated this and fear this. They are at the most risk which is why there are now vaccination guidelines for pregnant women.
Yes, I think that’s why they recommend a booster for adults when they’ll be around newborns.
I also learned a fun fact last year because I had to get an MMR booster to volunteer at our local children’s hospital - many of us in the 40-50 age range might not have adequate immunity due to a different vaccine schedule for MMR when we were kids, so with all of the measles going around - it’s worth considering a booster for that, too!
My oldest didn’t make a decision until that last day in April. At least 3 schools were still in play until that day. Then days later he got of a WL and switched. In his cases most of the Admitted Student Days caused him to find faults that brought the schools down on the list rather than up.
That sounds like quite the wild ride!
Indeed. Last minute (scheduled the night before) 3.5 hour drive each way to do a last minute unofficial second visit to the school he did commit to days later, 2 days before the deadline. Then when he got the WL offer, a last minute (planned night before) 6.5 hour each way drive to see that school, which he did decide to switch to (and we withdrew from the previous one and ate the deposit).
All worked out for the best. He thrived at the school he ended up at, did well, and made friends for life. To this day he lives in a city 10 hours from the school with 2 roommates from the school. When one moved out to go to law school, another also from the same school immediately took his slot, and several others live nearby and remain tight.
My belief is it usually all works out great, even if it seems stressful and chaotic until the last minute (and beyond). Also, it didn’t happen overnight. He came back from freshman year saying eh didn’t have any close friends. By the end of second year, he had many.
Thank you so much for this. Definitely makes a good story! In my heart, I know it will work out, but it can be hard in the midst of it. All the perspective from this forum has made me a little more zen about it all this week. Trying to enjoy these months before he leaves. He is my only and will turn 18 right before he leaves. It sure did fly by.
I know that when my nieces were born, their pediatrician recommended that we get a TDaP booster to cover us again, so it probably does wane somewhat.
We just talked to our Drs about this. A quick blood test can indicate whether or not you need an MMR booster. My husband and I both did one and we were fine!
Yes, this is why I caught pertussis. I was vaccinated as a child but never had a booster as an adult. I was told that my case was probably milder but it certainly did feel that way. My ribs hurt so much!
Yes, this! The cocoon effect-vaccinate those around the vulnerable individual. I recommend this with flu vaccine as well.