Rare illnesses in Appleton have officials on alert

APPLETON - Sixty-nine lab-confirmed cases of pertussis (whooping cough) and one confirmed case of tuberculosis have officials at Appleton's health department working overtime.

"We're the highest community in the state right now from what I can see looking at the data, so it's just the sheer numbers that the work load has gone up," said Appleton Health Department director Kurt Eggebrecht.

But add in a case of tuberculosis in a student at Appleton North High School last week and the health department is being stretched thin.

"There are some things that we have had to re-prioritize in our department and we feel bad about that, but this takes precedence,"  Eggebrecht said.

From 1997 until 2001, there just were eight cases of pertussis in Appleton. In 2004 alone, that number jumped to 91 cases. From December through Monday, Appleton's health department is dealing with 69 cases and counting. All in school-age children.

"They are the experts, they give us the information that we need and we are able to provide that to our students and our parents and our community as well," said Appleton Area School District assistant superintendent Ben Vogel.

Appleton North High School also has cases of pertussis to go with the case of tuberculosis. But through letters and meetings with staff and parents, district administrators say the community is kept up to date.

"There are going to be concerns but I think the fact that they have faith in our health department and that they are given the information they can to make sure that their child is safe," Vogel said.

On Feb. 21, health department officials will be here at Appleton North High School, testing roughly 300 students and staff to see if there are any more cases of tuberculosis that warrant further treatment.