Local YMCA camp closes after two counselors test positive for whooping cough



TACOMA -- A Key Peninsula YMCA camp closed this week after two counselors tested positive for pertussis, a bacterial infection commonly known as whooping cough.

The YMCA's Camp Colman in Longbranch closed Tuesday, and staffers notified health officials of the positive tests, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Officials then called the parents of all 1,200 participants who have attended the camp since late June, notifying them of the closure.

Camp Colman is slated to reopen Sunday.

Pertussis is a common illness in both children and adults.  Signs of the illness include a long-lasting and often severe cough that can sometimes resemble a whooping sound. Newborns are at the highest risk for developing severe complications from the infection.

In 2012, nearly 5,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in Washington state