Whooping Cough On Rise, Get Tested: Will County

WILL COUNTY, IL — With the holidays upon us, the Will County Community Health Center has issued a reminder urging residents to get tested for — and vaccinated against — pertussis, also known as whooping cough. While getting your yearly flu vaccine is important to do in the winter months, when the cold dry air weakens the immune system, health officials pointed out that this season is also a prime time for whooping cough.

As people spend more time indoors and in closer proximity to each other during the holidays, it can spread quickly. There have been about 30 confirmed cases of whooping cough in the area this year, health officials said, with more potential cases currently being investigated.

"There has been a recent surge in cases of pertussis, commonly known as 'whooping cough,' throughout the Northern Illinois and collar counties areas," the health department reminder read. "Will County Health Department Epidemiologist Alpesh Patel says that while it is certainly important to keep track of Influenza this time of year, whooping cough is something that can strike year round."

Pertussis or whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the respiratory system that can damage the pharynx, larynx, and in rare cases, the lungs. As it name implies, it causes prolonged and violent fits of coughing that require a person to take deep, "whooping" breaths. It can be difficult to identify, as other common seasonal illnesses also involve a lot of coughing. This makes early testing and immunization particularly important.

"Often people hear the coughing and think it’s just seasonal allergies, asthma, or the flu," Patel explained in the health department release. "But when the persistent mild or moderate cough has lasted two weeks, you really need to think about pertussis."

Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for young children whose immune systems are still developing and who may not have all their vaccines. Luckily, testing for the illness is easy and readily available at the Will County Community Health Center. Even individuals without health insurance should not hesitate to come in, Health Center Public Information Officer Steve Brandy said.

"The reason the Health Center exists is to make sure everyone in Will County has access to healthcare," Brandy said. "They take medicaid, they have sliding scale pay rates."

For more information, please visit the Will County Community Health Center website, and the Center for Disease Control's file on whooping cough.