WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) - Another suburban Philadelphia school is reporting an outbreak of whooping cough.
The West Chester Area School District this week confirmed a second case of the infection known as pertussis at Hillsdale Elementary School in East Bradford.
Whooping cough is a contagious bacterial disease that in rare cases can be fatal. It starts off like a cold but leads to severe coughing that can last for weeks.
Chester County health officials consider two or more cases at a school to be an outbreak. Those without the pertussis vaccination cannot attend classes for 21 days.
Superintendent Jim Scanlon tells the Daily Local News that the district saw three other isolated cases earlier this school year.
Two cases were reported last week at Great Valley High School in nearby Malvern.
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