Sixth Case of Whooping Cough Confirmed in Commack Schools

A sixth person within the Commack School District has been diagnosed with Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, Superintendent Donald James confirmed Monday in a statement on the district website.

The individual, from , is the second reported case at the school. The first was . In both cases, the individuals did not return to school until treated, according to James. 

In the past three months, additional cases have been diagnosed at , and .

The message posted on the district website provides information about the disease and directs parents and staff to call the county Department of Health Services at 631-853-3055, with questions about the disease and the Pertussis vaccine.

According to the Suffolk County Department of health, Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory illness that is spread through the air by cough from an infected individual. It can take up to three weeks for symptoms to develop and last for up to six weeks. 

Symptoms include fever and coughing fits accompanied by long whooping sounds and or vomiting/gagging. In some cases, whooping cough can be fatal to infants who are not fully immunized.