Londonderry Middle School Student Diagnosed with Whooping Cough

One person at Londonderry Middle School has been diagnosed with pertussis, also known as whooping cough, the school district announced on Thursday.

In a letter to parents, Superintendent Nathan Greenberg and Director of Pupil Services Kim Carpinone said that "one individual" at the middle school has been diagnosed with whooping cough, and that other cases may occur over the next few weeks, as it is highly contagious. Greenberg confirmed in an email on Thursday that it was a student who was diagnosed with the disease.

Whooping cough is spread by direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person or by breathing in droplets in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be spread by sharing eating utensils and drink containers.

Symptoms usually begin 10 to 14 days after exposure. It begins like a cold, with a runny nose, low-grade fever and a cough that becomes worse over one to two weeks, at which point it develops into severe coughing spells. Symptoms usually include a long series of coughs, followed by a whooping sound. This stage of the disease lasts one to six weeks or longer.

Whooping cough is contagious until three weeks after the severe coughing begins. Treatment with antibiotics is also recommended for household members and close contacts.

If anyone in your household is diagnosed with pertussis, notify your school nurse or the New Hampshire Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at 1-800-3345, Ext. 4496 or 603-271-4496.

Attached above are PDFs of the letter to parents and a pertussis/whooping cough fact sheet.