(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The El Paso County Public Health Department (EPCPH) has issued a pertussis notice to parents of students at Jenkins Middle School due to what it is calling the first outbreak of the year in El Paso County.
EPCPH told FOX21 News that it has asked parents of seventh grade students to monitor their children for symptoms of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The bacterial respiratory infection spreads when people come into close contact with a person who has the disease and is coughing.
“People at risk for getting pertussis are those who spend several hours a day near the ill person,” said Communications and Public Relations Supervisor Pamela Preston. “Especially in a confined area or who are in direct contact with respiratory secretions, such as in direct cough into the face.”
In school settings, pertussis can spread in classrooms, in meetings, among participants in extracurricular activities, and in similar types of settings.
Symptoms usually develop between seven to 10 days, and up to 21 days after exposure.
Parents should watch for:
Runny nose and mild cough, that is how Pertussis begins
Cough becomes more severe until coughing fits develop
Individuals may appear and feel fine in between coughing fits
Coughing may be accompanied by vomiting, breathlessness, or a change in facial color, and/or a whooping sound may follow the coughing fit
This is the first pertussis outbreak in El Paso County in 2025, per EPCPH. Cases overall reached a peak in late 2024, with 96 pediatric pertussis cases in the county in 2024. In 2023, there were only six cases.
“This increase in 2024 is consistent with what we saw across the state of Colorado and the nation,” said Preston. “At this time, we cannot pinpoint one particular reason for which there was a dramatic increase in pertussis in 2024.”
Jenkins Middle School follows Cheyenne Mountain High School, which also had a pertussis outbreak in late October 2024.
Preston added that there could be several factors in play, as pertussis can be cyclical in nature. She said that the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in decreased cases due to mitigation efforts aimed at COVID-19 being effective in the reduction of other respiratory diseases.
In 2017 — the last time there was an uptick in pertussis cases — El Paso County only saw 28 cases.
“Public health is actively collecting and analyzing data to try to understand common factors for the uptick in disease reports and we hope to have more to share in the future,” said Preston.
All teachers, staff, and students at Jenkins Middle School were recently relocated to Doherty High School and Russell Middle School after the building that housed Jenkins was deemed unsafe.
“If there were concerns about the spread of pertussis at the relocation schools, both school administration and EPCPH would communicate with parents to inform them of any potential exposure,” Preston said. “If parents have concerns about their child’s health, we encourage them to contact their child’s healthcare provider.”
According to EPCPH, an outbreak is considered to be two or more individuals with the disease whose infection can be traced back to the exposure source. A spokesperson for Colorado Springs School District 11 (D11) said two cases had been confirmed at Jenkins Middle School, and confirmed that EPCPH had shared guidance with families and staff as part of their standard protocol to prevent further spread.
“As a precaution, the school has taken additional steps, including deep cleaning and sanitizing impacted areas and school buses at both Doherty and Russell, sharing prevention tips and resources with families, and encouraging families to monitor for symptoms and consult their healthcare provider if needed,” said the spokesperson for D11. “We remain in close communication with the health department and appreciate the community’s understanding as we work to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.”
