Latest news with #SandyArnold
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Concern grows over spread of whooping cough in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. –There's renewed concern about the spread of whooping cough in the Memphis area. Memphis-Shelby County Schools confirmed there's been at least one case of whooping cough in the school district and the health department said there have been five cases reported in the county. Tuesday afternoon, a health expert at Le Bonheur spoke with WREG to give advice to parents and other adults. At Grahamwood Elementary on Summer Avenue, school is in session as it normally is for students here in the Berclair area. This comes after MSCS confirmed there's been one case of a student with whooping cough at Grahamwood. Whooping cough case found at Memphis elementary school 'It's called whooping cough after the characteristic sound that people make when they cough with this illness,' Dr. Sandy Arnold said. Your News Leader reached out to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital's Dr. Arnold to find out more about whooping cough, also known as pertussis. 'Pertussis is a cough illness and it has a nickname,' Dr. Arnold said. 'That's the 100-day cough.' Health experts said whooping cough is a bacterial infection that can easily spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. The Shelby County Health Department confirms with WREG that there have been a total of five cases of whooping cough reported in the county this year. 'Most children who are in public schools are vaccinated, and so they may have a milder, more modified illness if they acquire it because they do have some immunity,' Dr. Arnold said. Donations requested for students affected by Marshall County storms However, pertussis can also be life-threatening. 'The highest risk is to children under 6 months of age,' Dr. Arnold said. 'This is why we recommend that mothers, when they are pregnant that they get [a] pertussis vaccine booster.' Adults can also get whooping cough. 'And it is no fun, like I said – The 100 Days Cough,' Dr. Arnold said. 'It's unlikely to cause severe enough disease to require hospitalization in an older child or an adult.' Dr. Arnold said her best advice for parents is to make sure their kids have their shots. 'Obviously, keeping your child up to date on their vaccines, making sure that they get them at the right time,' she said. Last year, there were only nine cases of whooping cough reported in Shelby County for all of 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Le Bonheur monitors rise of measles cases in U.S.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As measles cases continue to rise across the United States, including a major outbreak in Texas that has led to one child's death, health experts at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis are closely monitoring the situation. 'So measles is very, very contagious. It is the most contagious viral illness,' said Dr. Sandy Arnold, Le Bonheur Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 'If somebody with measles is in the same room with you, you have a very high chance of catching measles if you are not immune.' Dr. Arnold said that the measles vaccine is recommended for all children after their first birthday. Because of the way the measles vaccine works, it can be inhibited. Student caught with drugs at Memphis high school: MPD The largest outbreak so far this year has been in Texas, but cases have been reported in a number of other states as well. On Tuesday, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital told WREG there have been no reported measles cases in Memphis and Shelby County. Doctors recommend that children and even older adults make sure they've had the measles vaccine. 'So first of all, if you were born before 1956, you are presumed to have had measles and are considered protected because pretty much everybody got measles at that time,' said Dr. Arnold. 'If you attended school in the State of Tennessee, and you did not receive any vaccine exemptions that you know of, you're probably vaccinated.' MS inmate sentenced for tasing jailer last year Doctors said that if you forget your vaccination history, you can take a simple blood test, or you can get another measles vaccine shot to help protect yourself and others. 'So, if you are unsure and cannot get any data on whether you are vaccinated or not, you can get a vaccine because there's no harm in having more than two, and that's the easiest thing, because otherwise you're going to have to get a blood test, wait for the results and then get a vaccine,' said Dr. Arnold. The CDC says measles is far more contagious than COVID-19. For example, if one person gets measles, they can spread it to up to 9 out of 10 people around them if those people are not vaccinated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
