The Cherry Hill School district confirmed two cases of Pertussis, better known as whooping cough.
Assistant Superintendent Marianne Gaffney stated that the cases occurred at the Joyce Kilmer Elementary School and the Richard Stockton Elementary School.
Gaffney says the students who were diagnosed with and treated for Pertussis were fully immunized against the disease.
It’s the latest case of pertussis in the area. Last week, officials announced a whooping cough outbreak at the Hillsdale Elementary School in West Chester. A case of whooping cough was also confirmed at Great Valley High School in Chester County.
Pertussis is spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It begins with cold symptoms and a cough that becomes much worse over one to two weeks.
Symptoms usually include a long series of coughs (coughing fits) followed by a whooping noise. However, older children, adults and very young infants may not develop the whoop. There is generally no fever, officials say.
People with Pertussis may have a series of coughs followed by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching their breath. The cough is often worse at night and cough medicines usually do not help alleviate the cough. The disease can be very severe and, although deaths are rare, they do occur, especially in infants less than one year of age, according to the health department.
