Whooping cough case confirmed at Ferndale High School. Here’s how to avoid getting it

The Ferndale School District is warning families to keep an eye out for whooping cough symptoms after a Ferndale High School student was diagnosed with the illness.

The district announced the diagnosis in a Facebook post on Tuesday, and included a letter it received from the state Department of Health. Melissa Morin, a communications specialist with the health department, confirmed the case Wednesday.

Whooping cough, or petrussis, only spreads via inhalation, Morin said, and cannot be transmitted over surfaces. The health department, she added, has notified families of those who were close to the student.

Anyone who was within three feet of the student for more than an hour could have become sick since March 12, or could still get sick until April 14, according to the letter the district posted.

Patient privacy laws prevent the department from releasing even limited information about the student, like grade level or gender.

The case is the seventh in Whatcom County since the start of the year, according to the most recent Department of Health records, which include all reported cases through last Saturday. There isn’t anything unusual about those cases, Morin said.

“It’s not an outbreak and we’re not experiencing anything outside of the realm of normal,” she said.

Most adults and teens who get the illness will have a bad cough but will usually be OK, Morin added. Infants and small children are the most at risk of more severe symptoms, like breathing difficulties, and anyone with the illness should stay away from them.

The best measure against whooping cough, Morin said, is vaccination. Anyone who’s sick should stay home from work or school, and can further prevent spreading the illness by coughing into their sleeve and washing their hands often. Anyone unsure about their symptoms should see a doctor, she added.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 2:13 PM with the headline "Whooping cough case confirmed at Ferndale High School. Here’s how to avoid getting it."