Parents of Bainbridge Island students have been notified of yet another confirmed case of pertussis.

This week, a pertussis case was confirmed in a third-grade classroom at Captain Charles Wilkes Elementary School.

Last week, Bainbridge Island School District parents received a letter stating a student attending the Mosaic Home Education Program had a case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

Last week’s information was sent upon recommendation from the Kitsap Public Health District. School nurses are working closely with local providers to monitor the cases.

As of Tuesday, 128 cases of whooping cough had been reported to the Kitsap Public Health District since June 2014, according to its website. That number has jumped by eight cases since last week.

This week’s electronic letter to parents read: “This time of year is viral respiratory season so many kids may experience mild coughs. Mild coughs that are less than 5 to 7 days duration are less likely to be pertussis, and it is difficult to determine pertussis at the early stage of a coughing illness.

“So, many people wonder when to become concerned. Local providers recommend  parents arrange a health care provider visit for any child with a ‘bad’ cough (fits of coughing), especially if the cough has lasted for over one week and children with a new onset of a cough that have had a ‘close contact’ to a confirmed pertussis case,” states the email from Sandy Halbert, Bainbridge Island School District nurse.

The recent whooping outbreak has been addressed by the Kitsap Public Health District over the last few months. Health district officials said the majority of pertussis cases in the county have been on Bainbridge Island, with the rest in North Kitsap.

Whooping cough is spread very easily through coughing and sneezing. Infected persons will notice cold-like symptoms that develop into a bad cough.

Some violent coughing spells may end in gagging or vomiting.

Health officials said infants often may only have trouble breathing or feeding, or may turn purple, and need to be taken right away to a physician.

Vaccinated children and adults may still catch pertussis and spread it to others as vaccines tend to wear off over time. Infants aged 1 and younger are at a higher risk, as are those with weakened immune systems.

Generally, pertussis is treated with antibiotics which in turn control the symptoms and prevent the spread of the infection to others, according to Kitsap Public Health.

For more information on the outbreak, visit www.kitsappublichealth.org.