BRUNSWICK

A Brunswick High School student has been diagnosed with pertussis, or whooping cough, a contagious illness that can often be prevented by vaccination.

School officials alerted parents and guardians of Brunswick High School students to the case in a memo Wednesday from Paul Austin, director of student services for the school department, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Sheila Pinette, chief health officer of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said Thursday that 78 cases of pertussis have been reported in Maine since the start of 2015, with the majority of cases involving school-aged children.

So far this year, the majority of cases are in Waldo, Franklin and Oxford counties, with fewer cases throughout the rest of the state.

In 2014, a total of 554 cases were reported to the CDC, up from 332 in 2013, but down from 737 in 2012.

“We used to say it comes in cycles, every three years,” Pinette said. “At this point, I don’t feel it’s a crisis”

Pertussis is spread from person to person through coughing. It usually begins with symptoms of a common cold (sore throat, runny nose, etc.) and often develops into a bad cough after a few weeks, according to the memo. The cough can last several weeks or more.

Most children are vaccinated against pertussis and receive five shots before they start attending school, Pinette said. But it’s possible for vaccinated children to be infected, and babies are at most serious risk of the illness.

School-aged children are one of the hardest-hit populations, Pinette said, in part because immunity from childhood vaccinations begins to wane.

“We really want to get kids [ages] 11 to 13 in to get immunized again,” Pinette said.

She encouraged “basic respiratory hygiene,” as well as diligent handwashing, cleaning with bleach and coughing into your sleeve.

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