Oakland County High School Student Diagnosed With Whooping Cough

BLOOMFIELD HILLS (WWJ) - A student at Bloomfield Hills High School was recently diagnosed with Pertussis — more commonly known as Whooping Cough.

The school district sent out a letter Monday to families saying that the student has been treated with antibiotics, is no longer contagious and is back at school.  No further information about the student has been released.

Whooping cough can cause adults or teens to have severe coughing that leads to vomiting or broken ribs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.  They can be hospitalized for pneumonia and miss weeks of work or school.  In children less than one year old, complications include pneumonia, convulsions and, in rare cases, brain damage. The majority of deaths from pertussis occur in infants younger than two months of age, and doctors say early treatment with antibiotics can make the infection less severe and prevent the spread of illness to others.

The CDC urges parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against the disease; and also ask a doctor or pediatrician about getting a booster if you or your child had the original vaccine.

For more information about whopping cough from the CDC, click here.