New Whooping Cough Cases Reported At Stevenson High School

LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — Two Stevenson High School students have been diagnosed with pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, according to school officials, the Daily Herald reported. School officials announced the news Tuesday, bringing the number of pertussis cases at the high school to 35 since September, according to the Daily Herald.

According to the Lake County Health Department, pertussis is "a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes coughing and gagging with little or no fever. An infected person has cough episodes that may end in vomiting or cause a "whoop" sound when the person inhales."

Pertussis may start with cold-like symptoms followed by a cough that gradually worsens while others may develop the cough without any cold symptoms at all. Typically, there is no fever, but the cough can disrupt sleep.

Adults usually have two to three coughing episodes per day and children often have 10 or more coughing episodes per day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis can be most serious, even deadly, for infants less than a year old.

Related: Whooping Cough Case Reported at Stevenson