A declaration of an outbreak requires five confirmed cases and health services would have to follow more rigid rules concerning cases and exposure. Dr. Daniel Clapp, director of health services, explained that his office "would follow the orders of the department of public health."
In the past few weeks, health services has contacted 113 people who have been significantly exposed to the four confirmed cases. All but five of these students have taken the five-day antibiotic treatment, called Zithromax.
If these five have been infected, they could infect other people when they go home for break. "People are going home for Thanksgiving, and may be exposed to small children," said Dean of Students Ben Lieber. "We must be cognizant of the wider community that they may be a part of."
Dean of New Students Francis Couvares has agreed to help get the five students to take the medication before they leave for Thanksgiving break. "He will take appropriate action," said Clapp.
Lieber said that the administration has some concern right now because whooping cough is contagious. However, whooping cough in adolescents and adults is not as worrisome because it is not life-threatening, as it is in young children, the elderly and the infirmed.
Matt Reichstein '05, a member of the men's rugby team who was significantly exposed, originally decided to not take the treatment because he had no symptoms, and his father, who is a physician, told his that it was not a good idea to take the antibiotics. Reichstein has since changed him mind and plans on starting the Zithromax promptly. "If people think it's serious," he said, "then I guess I will take it."
Clapp speculated that, should there be an outbreak at the College, health services would have to increase their efforts in treating those who exhibit suspicious symptoms, regardless of suspected exposure. "We would be required (by the public health department) to treat each one with suspicious symptoms immediately," said Clapp.
Clapp also speculated that those who did not comply with taking the medication could be banned from campus for 21 days. Lieber said that the College would be forced to comply with all orders of the department of public health, even if it meant forcing students off campus.
"We are prepared to send students home if they don't have the vaccinations," said Lieber.
"If the College were to threaten to kick people off campus for not taking the medicine, I don't think there would be anyone who would not comply with the orders to take the antibiotics," said Reichstein.
Clapp said that outbreaks of whooping cough are uncommon, though they have increased in the past few years. "The problem, we think, is that it used to be that everybody would get the vaccine," he said.
Last year, there were six cases of whooping cough at UMass. The University dealt with similar issues of treating those exposed to the infection.
Clapp said that if none of the remaining tests come back positive, the situation at Amherst should be under control by the time students return from Thanksgiving break.
According to Clapp, a number of students with cold-like symptoms have been to health services because they were worried about whooping cough. Tests were done on a few, but most patients' symptoms were not suspicious enough to warrant testing. He added that it was important that people who might be worried about their cold-like symptoms feel comfortable coming into the office.
Clapp also stressed that he and health services take the confidential patient-doctor relationship very seriously. He said that neither he nor health services will reveal the names of any patients.