El Paso Independent School District officials are warning parents with children who attend Chapin High School of a confirmed case of whooping cough in a student at the Northeast school.

Medically known as pertussis, whooping cough spreads from person to person, usually by coughing or sneezing or simply by proximity with someone who is infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ABC7 reports the district notified parents of the possibility their child was exposed and urged them to be on the lookout for symptoms of the highly contagious respiratory disease.

Per the CDC, early signs include "cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever" and can last for 1 to 2 weeks.

Because pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold, it is often not suspected or diagnosed until the more severe symptoms appear."

Vomiting, exhaustion, and coughing fits are signs it has progressed. To find out more about whooping cough, such as diagnosis and treatment, visit the CDC website.

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