Whoops

An Imperial Beach elementary school student has been diagnosed with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. On July 1, South Bay Union School District superintendent Carol Parish sent a letter to parents whose children may have come into contact with the ill student.

The third-grade student attended Oneonta Elementary School, which held its last day of classes on June 25. However, the school will be the site for a summer day-care program beginning on Monday, July 6.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious illness spread through the air when an ill person coughs or sneezes.

A ten-year old at Lemon Crest Elementary school in Lakeside was diagnosed on Monday, June 29, according to county health officials.

The Imperial Beach student’s illness was the 45th case of whooping cough reported in the county so far this year. In all of 2008, 51 cases of whooping cough were reported in San Diego County.