A case of the Whooping Cough was confirmed at Woodland Jr. High Wednesday, Melissa Thomas Director of Health Services for Fayetteville Public Schools, told 40/29 News.The case was in an unvaccinated student, Thomas said.All parents of students at Woodland were notified, Thomas said.The school also sent 31 letters to the parents of students considered being in "close proximity" to the infected student. The Arkansas Department of Health asked them to go to a doctor to get antibiotics to avoid developing the disease. If any of those 31 students do not get the antibiotic by April 8, 2019, they will not be allowed to return to school for at least three weeks, according to the letter.Seven students at the school who have exemptions from mandatory vaccinations were also given letters to go to a healthcare provider. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a very contagious disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website."Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing, which often makes it hard to breathe," according to the website. "After cough fits, someone with pertussis often needs to take deep breaths, which result in a "whooping" sound.""Pertussis can affect people of all ages, but can be very serious, even deadly, for babies less than a year old," according to the CDC's site."The best way to protect against pertussis is by getting vaccinated," it says.