WESTON, Fla. — Families with children who attend a school in South Florida were notified this week of a case of whooping cough at the campus.
Parents said the principal of Country Isles Elementary School in Weston sent an email Monday saying students may have been exposed to a case of the contagious illness.
A spokesperson with Broward County Public Schools said the student in question hasn't been on campus since before spring break, and no additional cases have been reported.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial disease that spreads when the infected person coughs or sneezes. It usually begins with cold-like symptoms, but serious symptoms can include coughing fits and even vomiting.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward also called parents on Monday to let them know of the situation and to advise them on what to watch for.
"I wasn't super concerned," parent Adriana Castro said. "I'm glad that I got notified really early on. My girls are generally really healthy and they're vaccinated."
"A phone call came out that a kid that our children may have been ... exposed to the pertussis, whooping cough, and then an email came out later that day," parent Kiersten Bertamini said. "I wasn't too concerned because all of my kids are vaccinated. For the kids that aren't vaccinated, I would say they're doing a vaccine drive here. Go get your kids vaccinated because whooping cough is very, very serious and can lead to death, unfortunately."
The health department will be at the school on Wednesday for a free voluntary vaccination event for parents interested in getting their children vaccinated.
