Pertussis (also known as Whooping Cough) is a contagious disease with symptoms that often begin like a common cold, but with coughing that can last from a week for up to several months.

Individuals with pertussis can also develop rapid and uncontrolled coughing fits followed by a whooping noise, and the coughing may be followed by vomiting, turning blue, or difficulty catching breath. 
The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends the pertussis vaccination for everyone.
After exposure to the bacteria, it typically takes 5-10 days (but as long as 21 days) for symptoms to appear. Individuals exposed to whooping cough should monitor for symptoms for 21 days, regardless of vaccination status. 

Pertussis spreads easily through the air. When a person with whooping cough sneezes or coughs, small particles are released into the air that contain the bacteria, which other people then breathe in.

• The New Jersey Department of Health recommends post-exposure antibiotic treatment to persons within 21 days of exposure to an infectious pertussis case who are at high risk or who will have close contact with a person at high risk of severe illness regardless of age or vaccination status, including:

o Infants (<12 months) and women in their third trimester of pregnancy; 

o All persons with pre-existing health conditions that may be worsened by a pertussis infection; 

o Contacts who themselves have close contact with either infants, pregnant women, or individuals with pre-existing health conditions. 

To help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, wash your hands frequently, cover your nose and mouth with tissues when coughing or sneezing, do not go to school or work when sick, and do not share eating utensils, toothbrushes, cups, drinking glasses, or water bottles.
For additional information, visit: 

    https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/pertussis.shtml

    https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/

• Detection of Communicable Disease
• Exclusion from School
• Readmission to School
• Reports - local health department