HIGHLAND, Ohio-The Highland Local School District has been informed by the Medina County Health Department about probable cases of whooping cough in the district. Students have been identified as direct contacts through non-school-age siblings who tested positive for the illness. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.
Symptoms initially resemble those of a common cold but progress to severe coughing episodes. The illness is communicable from the onset of symptoms until three weeks after coughing episodes start, but appropriate antibiotic therapy can reduce this period to five days. Parents are advised to contact their primary healthcare provider or the Medina County Health Department if their child exhibits symptoms of whooping cough.
