(Bloomfield, IA) – Classes were canceled for today (Friday, Dec. 12^th) at a southern Iowa school district, after authorities confirmed a case of whooping cough. Davis County Community School District Superintendent Megan Christiansen, in Bloomfield, posted on social media, Thursday afternoon, that the case of whooping cough, also called pertussis, was confirmed at the elementary school.

“Out an abundance of caution,” Christiansen said, classes and activities that were scheduled to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, were canceled or postponed, while the district investigates and waits on guidance from public health officials. “We will keep families updated with new information,” Christiansen said, “as soon as it becomes available.”

Pertussis is a contagious respiratory illness. It gets its name based on the “whooping” someone makes while gasping for air after coughing.