The Pennsylvania Department of Health is tracking a pertussis outbreak primarily among students in the Stroudsburg area. Pertussis, commonly referred to as whooping cough, is a highly contagious upper respiratory disease that is particularly dangerous for young children, especially infants.<\/p>\n
Before the availability of a vaccine in the 1940s, pertussis was one of the most common childhood diseases worldwide and a major cause of childhood mortality in the United States. Even today, half of infants with pertussis will be hospitalized.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s Pediatrics Chairman Jennifer Janco, MD, offers the following advice to parents:<\/p>\n
Dr. Janco noted that diagnosing upper respiratory illnesses this time of year is challenging.<\/p>\n
Pertussis has many similarities with other respiratory infections currently circulating in the community, such as influenza or Covid or the common cold. Contacting your health care provider for further guidance on your symptoms and risk is the best next step.<\/p>\n
However, in cases when a diagnosis of pertussis is confirmed, all contacts living in the household should be treated with antibiotics to prevent further spread. Certain other high-risk contacts may qualify for treatment as well.<\/p>\n
Additional information is available on the CDC website:\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/pertussis\/index.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 300+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 45 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 400 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/Merative 11 times total and eight years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a015 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest cost providers.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: The Pennsylvania Department of Health is tracking a pertussis outbreak primarily among students in the Stroudsburg area. Pertussis, commonly referred to as whooping cough, is a highly contagious upper respiratory … Continue reading St. Luke\u2019s Medical Advice for Pertussis (Whooping Cough)<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"