Three Village school officials posted a letter on the district website informing parents that a case of Pertussis has been reported for a student at Setauket Elementary School who was diagnosed with the highly contagious illness.
According to the district, the student has been cleared by a family doctor and is back in school.
Dr. Shaheda Iftikhar, MD and Director of Public Health said in the letter that Pertussis is a respiratory illness also known as “whooping cough" and that the disease is a highly contagious bacterial disease that is spread through the air by cough from an infected individual.
Children and adults may still develop Pertussis even if they are up to date with their vaccinations as immunity to Pertussis wanes over the years. Up to date vaccination against Pertussis, however, remains the best defense to prevent illness, according to the letter.
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