WESTON, Fla. – The principal of a Broward County elementary school alerted parents to potential whooping cough exposure.
The case was reported at Country Isles Elementary School, located at 2300 Country Isles Road in Weston.
An email from Principal Mindy Morgan sent Monday told parents that their children may have been exposed to the vaccine-preventable contagious illness, also known as pertussis.
It goes on to list the symptoms of pertussis, which include coughing or whooping fits and vomiting.
“I wasn’t too concerned because all my kids are vaccinated,” parent Kiersten Bertamini told Local 10 News. “I think it was really good that the school informed everybody really early both by phone call text message and email.”
Whooping cough, caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, spreads through coughs and sneezes and is highly contagious and particularly dangerous to infants.
“I wasn’t super concerned,” parent Adriana Castro said. “My girls are fully vaccinated.”
The email goes on to say that on Wednesday, the health department will be holding a vaccination event from 2 to 6 p.m. and parents who are interested should go to the front office.
Parents tell Local 10 News that the school is taking measures to prevent potential spread.