EASD Confirms Whooping Cough Case

A student at Easton's has been diagnosed with pertussis -- better known as whooping cough -- the Easton Area School District confirmed Monday.

Last Friday, the district had sent a phone message to parents informing them of the possibility of a at the College Hill school.

On Monday, the district made it official, the Express-Times reports.

Stephen Furst, director of teaching and learning, said it's not clear whether other cases of the illness have cropped up at March.

This makes Easton the third local school district dealing with whooping cough, which was  and also  in the last two months.

To deal with whooping cough, the state Department of Health offers these tips:

• All Pennsylvanians should get vaccinated and protect themselves. 
• The typical childhood vaccine immunization series is at 4, 6, 15-18 months and a booster at 4-6 years old.

The adolescent-adult Tdap vaccines are recommended for:

• Individuals 10 to 64 years of age who are not fully immunized
• Women of childbearing age, before or immediately after pregnancy
• People who have contact with pregnant women or infants too young to have received a full series of vaccinations
• All family members and caregivers of infants.