The Westhampton Beach School District has confirmed a case of whopping cough in the district's middle school.
According to the district's website, a middle school student was diagnosed last week with respiratory disease pertussis, which is also known as whooping cough.
A letter sent home to parents by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services states that the case was diagnosed on Jan. 9 and the case is not the first in Suffolk County this year.
According to the Department of Health, "Suffolk County continues to see an increase in Pertussis."
The Department of Health says whooping cough is highly contagious and is spread through the air through a cough. An infected person is infectious for 21 days from the start of the cough or until he/she is on five full days of antibiotics.
For more information on whooping cough, click here.
