Cedar Park Parents Warned Of Confirmed Whooping Cough Case

CEDAR PARK, TX -- Parents of children attending Deer Creek Elementary School were notified a fifth-grader there was diagnosed with whooping cough, a condition caused by a highly contagious bacteria.

Leander ISD officials told KXAN-TV school officials assured parents of the cleanliness of students' surroundings: “The only assurance we can provide is that we’re providing a safe learning environment, that we’re following protocols and that we’re highly recommending that you have any concerns you contact your health care provider,” Veronica Sopher told the news station.

Parents were urged to contact their doctors for antibiotics if a child develops a cough. If the child develops whooping cough, parents need to keep them at home for five days while under antibiotics.

There were 10 confirmed and probable cases of pertussis, the formal name for the condition, in the first six months of last year. So far this year, there are nine confirmed cases and six probable ones, the news station reported.

In Travis County, there have been 34 cases of pertussis reported so far this year. Last year, there were 104 whooping cough cases, and in 2014, there were 334.

In February, cases of whooping cough were confirmed in Pflugerville and South Austin schools, as Patch reported.

Read the full story at KXAN >>