Whooping cough outbreak at Oregon High School

OREGON – Ogle County officials are investigating an outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, at Oregon High School, where eight cases have been confirmed, the Ogle County Health Department Public said in a news release.

Staff are working with the school to prevent further spread of the disease, department Administrator Kyle Auman said.

Whooping cough can cause serious illness in babies, children, teens, pregnant women and other vulnerable adults. Early symptoms are a runny nose, a low-grade fever, an occasional cough, and apnea, or a pause in breathing, in babies.

After 1 to 2 weeks, additional symptoms include coughing fits followed by a high-pitched “whoop” sound. Vomiting and exhaustion can follow the fits. Symptoms can show up anywhere from 5 days to 3 weeks after exposure.

Anyone showing signs should contact a health care provider immediately, and families should make sure their vaccinations are up to date. Protection against whooping cough from the DTaP childhood vaccine decreases over time, and older children and adults should get a booster vaccine, called a Tdap, the release said.

Call the health department at 815-562-6976 for more information.