Whooping Cough Confirmed at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

A 10th grade student at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has a confirmed cases of whooping cough, the district said Tuesday in a letter to parents. Whooping cough, also known as Pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory system infection. It can cause severe coughing episodes, and can be prevented with a vaccine. "To reduce exposure, our staff members will continue encouraging proper hand washing and educating students about good health practices," the letter said. The school district's last day of the semester is Thursday, according to the school calendar.Symptoms of whooping cough include mild fever, runny nose and cough. The cough gets worse after one to two weeks and usually starts to occur in strong fits of many, rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched "whoop" sound. Other symptoms include vomiting during or after coughing fits and exhaustion after the fits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.More information on symptoms and prevention is available on the CDC website.KXAS-TV (NBC5) contributed to this report.   Continue reading...