SENECA, S.C. -- Some parents in Oconee County received a letter this week telling them that an elementary school student contracted whooping cough.

Officials said the child attends Northside Elementary School on North Townville Street.

The mother of the student said her daughter was vaccinated and that she is doing well and is expected to return to school at the end of the week. She said she has no idea how her daughter contracted the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, as a highly contagious bacterial infection that lasts for many weeks and is typically found in children. It is characterized by a whooping sound made by the person infected as they breathe in after a persistent cough.

Symptoms of the disease include sneezing, runny nose, a cough that gets gradually worse over time and mild fever, the CDC said.

The CDC said whooping cough can be prevented with a vaccine and treated with antibiotics.