https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Apr 2026 15:15:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853898 Tue, 30 Oct 2018 08:09:22 +0000 periwinklebee 2853898@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We get a notification when someone has pertussis, mumps, etc - the list @MrsSCB: shared. I always thought it was required by law to notify... but maybe not. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853803 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 13:52:11 +0000 MrsSCB 2853803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>FWIW, there is a list of diseases that health care providers are supposed to report to local health departments/CDC. Things like flu and strep are not on there. Pertussis, measles, mumps, other vaccine-preventable diseases, hepatitis, TB, etc. are. I think it's reasonable to expect or at the very least desire that an employer notify employees of possible exposure to these same diseases IF the employer is aware, obviously. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853774 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 12:00:30 +0000 MamaG 2853774@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you are expecting too much. I work in a bigger office, but there is no public notice of illnesses. We have people every year with flu and there's no notice. I'm more worried about taking flu home to my children than pertussis.</p> <p>Our daycare also provides notice of strep throat, no notice for that one around the office either.</p> <p>I also agree with a previous poster, that it's very possible management doesn't necessarily know the employee had pertussis. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853768 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 11:40:42 +0000 codeitall 2853768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, I think the average person has no idea what pertussis is unless they've had kids in the last decade. I have never gotten official notice that anyone in my department or company had a disease and I think it likely falls under HIPAA in most people's minds. Her choice to share the information, but I understand why the company didn't. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853496 Fri, 26 Oct 2018 10:28:28 +0000 smuckers 2853496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@annem1990: Honestly, that was my secondary reaction, after initial frustration/annoyance (hence the post, lol). I am also not generally a germaphobe either... until it comes to something like pertussis (or the mumps, stuff like that). DD was actually exposed to someone with strep (friend came over on Saturday, diagnosed on Monday, she felt SO BAD) and I wasn't worried about that at all. Plus, I think my reaction about the pertussis was heightened because DD had been coughing through the night due to a cold, so I was already anxiety-spiraling about whooping cough BEFORE I knew I'd had contact with someone infected.</p> <p>@Adira: I honestly don't know/think that MY manager knew about it, but her previous manager 100% did; new staff member was out of the office for around a week until her antibiotics course was completed, per dr's orders. Additionally, when she was offered the transfer, she specifically brought up that she had recently had pertussis and was being transferred to a department where most of us have a child under 2.</p> <p>Thank you everyone for your input. I did some research and it looks like the pertussis virus can't be transmitted except by an infected person (so I can't "carry" it home with me), which makes me feel WAY better. If that was NOT the case, I'd for sure be complaining to someone (HR? Manager?). As it stands now, I'm not going to bring it up (honestly I'm not sure HR would do anything about it anyway). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853430 Fri, 26 Oct 2018 05:18:45 +0000 Adira 2853430@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just curious, but how do you know that management even knew she had it? Just because she told your cube-mate doesn't mean she told everyone, right?</p> <p>But yeah, I'd be super annoyed! That stuff is dangerous for babies, so it's scary to be around someone who had it!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853421 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 23:59:50 +0000 lamariniere 2853421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think it is unreasonable to want to be informed about this. Like others have said, they could just say 'someone' has it to keep it anonymous. At school, they have notified us when kids get influenza, and dengue fever came up a few weeks ago. I think it's good to be aware so you can look out for anything. Can you bring it up with HR? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853403 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 20:43:51 +0000 LemonJack 2853403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you should have been told, even if it was just that someone in the office had pertussis. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, my principal came to find me as soon as he found out a student had chicken pox. He knew it would be dangerous if I caught it and wanted to make sure I was immune. I appreciated that he sought me out right away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853360 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:51:22 +0000 Mrsbells 2853360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nutmeg36: that would bother me. Something similar happened art my job and I was upset to find out through the grapevine that someone had pertussis instead of being told formally </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853358 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:44:16 +0000 annem1990 2853358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This isn’t something that would even cross my mind. Daycares should of course report, but adults to me is another story. I think it just makes for micro managing. We should trust adults will stay home when they’re sick, but they shouldn’t be put on blast if they don’t feel like sharing at the time.<br /> It’s reported to the Health Department for data, but I dont see why a company would be obligated to tell everyone. It’s none of their (or your!) business IMO. </p> <p>I will say - I am like the opposite of a germaphobe. It doesn’t worry me in the slightest when someone else is sick. I just think..”That sucks for them!!” :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853350 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:57:05 +0000 MenagerieMama 2853350@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pertussis is reportable to public health - so I’m surprised you weren’t notified somehow. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853349 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:54:19 +0000 MrsSCB 2853349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think you're being ridiculous, that does sound like something they should tell people. It doesn't violate medical privacy to say that *someone* in the office had pertussis. FWIW, I work at a university, and we have definitely received emails when a student or someone else is diagnosed with mumps or whatever. And I have a friend who was recently notified that a child in her son's daycare had pertussis. I've also been told in previous jobs and schools that someone was diagnosed with TB. So it isn't some crazy expectation to be notified, IMO. Of course, we can't be informed every time someone has the flu or strep or whatever, but I think these rarer contagious illnesses are different. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/am-i-expecting-too-much#post-2853346 Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:47:06 +0000 smuckers 2853346@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The department I work in (essentially an administrative/IT job) recently hired a new staff member (internal transfer). Before she was hired, there were 7 people in our department. Of those 7, 4 had babies in 2017. There were other babies born to other people in the office in 2017 as well. Office probably employs about 50 people, and we don't interact with the public in person.</p> <p>New staff member told my cube-mate (one of the people with a baby) today that she had had pertussis in September, and she "was worried when they were putting me with a bunch of people with babies." In September, she stayed home and went through antibiotics after diagnosis, and was seeing a dr, yada yada yada. </p> <p>I'm incredibly annoyed with management that they didn't notify the general population of our office that someone in the office had contracted pertussis. I know this could be viewed as a privacy issue, so I'm looking for perspective. My DD is as fully vaccinated as she can be, but still has a few rounds to go before she's done. It doesn't help that I brought her to the doctor LITERALLY THIS MORNING for a sick visit because she's been coughing a lot at night (Dr said it was just a cold, her lungs sounded very clear and she was at 100% for blood oxgenation). </p> <p>Am I being ridiculous? </p>