Whooping cough case puts Naperville school on alert

There is an alert for students and parents at one suburban school to be on the lookout for symptoms of whooping cough after one isolated case is found at Naperville Central High School.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection.

It is easily transmitted through coughing and sneezing.

Early symptoms are similar to a common cold but can become severe with a cough that has a distinctive "whooping" sound.