Wapello County’s in the middle of a major whooping-cough outbreak but public schools will not close. Nineteen cases have been confirmed by the county health department, and director Lynette Diers says pertussis is hitting residents of all ages. She says there are laboratory-confirmed cases in people from adults to 2-month-old babies. Diers says there are more than the normal cases of the disease in Wapello County, and it’s not the only area hit hard. She says the whole state of Iowa’s experiencing an outbreak of whooping cough, with around 40 counties with active cases. The public health director says she doesn’t advise trying to curtail many activies despite the whooping-cough outbreak. She cites the state public-health department’s advice not to close things down as it won’t curtail the disease or make it go away. She says the bug will be part of the community for many months to come. Diers says when someone’s exposed to whooping cough they will show symptoms within five to ten days, and can spread the disease for another 21 days. A small Christian school in Ottumwa will close early for its Christmas break but Ottumwa High School Principal Steve Hanson says it’s not an option for the big school. There are almost 5,000 students in the Ottumwa public school district, more than 1,500 in the high school, and he says they’re not closing even though there are 8 confirmed cases of the disease at the high school. Many students who’ve come in direct contact with kids who turned up sick are on antibiotics, and they’re staying home for the required five-day period as they begin to take the medicine. Hanson says that’s pushed the school’s absentee rate today (Wednesday) up to about 200 compared with the usual
