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<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; It wasn&#8217;t his first official action, since he hadn&#8217;t yet been sworn in, but Hanover Area School District&#8217;s new Superintendent Nathan Barrett sent out a two-page notice regarding an instance of pertussis, or whooping cough, Tuesday, hours before he was to take an oath of office at a 7 p.m. monthly board meeting.</p><p>&#8220;We had a confirmed case at the high school,&#8221; Barrett said Tuesday afternoon, noting the student&#8217;s condition was discovered in the morning. &#8220;We are following every recommendation of containment and care for the student and anybody that was in contact with the student.&#8221;</p><p>That included not only tracking down who might have been in close proximity to the student and sending out the letter detailing recommended procedures, but sifting through records to check if anyone might have been more at risk due to other health conditions.</p><p>&#8220;The maintenance staff sprang into action, disinfecting the school and doing everything else recommended on our end,&#8221; he continued, &#8220;We also talked to other staff members in other schools and discussed the protocols to follow if it does appear in another building.&#8221;</p><p>The two-page letter notes that pertussis is highly contagious and spread through the air, with symptoms of coughing fits sometimes &#8212; though not always &#8212; followed by a whooping noise. Some people can develop vomiting or have difficulty catching their breath. While symptoms can be severe, deaths are rare but can occur, particularly in infants less than 1 year old.</p><p>The letter outlines recommendations from the state department of health, including a doctor&#8217;s visit and, if recommended, a prescription of antibiotics to lower the chance of contracting pertussis in several cases: Infants, women in the third trimester of pregnancy, those with compromising conditions such as severe asthma or suppressed immune systems, and those who have regular contract with people at higher risk.</p><p>The letter also stresses the value of vaccination for all children under age 7.</p><p>Barrett has been technically on the job since Aug. 19 and was formally recognized as the district&#8217;s new superintendent by the state beginning Sept. 1, but he had not been sworn in as of Tuesday morning.</p><p>The board voted to put Barrett in the post at a brief special meeting July 29. He replaced Bill Jones, who was initially put on leave after officials discovered over-payments to a transportation contractor. Jones later hammered out a separation agreement with the district.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hanover Area deals with high school case of whooping cough