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North Allegheny student diagnosed with whooping cough

PITTSBURGH — A North Allegheny High School student has been diagnosed with pertussis, or whooping cough, the district said Thursday.

The student recently attended a band camp, which included participants from North Allegheny Intermediate High School and all three of the district's middle schools, the district said in a statement.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that is spread by sneezing or coughing, and symptoms typically include a long series of coughs, which might be followed by vomiting, turning blue or problems catching one's breath, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.

The best way to control whooping cough is through vaccination, the department said.

Children who are too young to be vaccinated or those who have not completed the vaccination series and adults whose immunity has begun to wane are the most susceptible to the disease, the school district said.

This article was written by Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE.

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