Symptoms of a common cold? You may have whooping cough

With a whooping cough outbreak on the rise in DuPage County, now is the time to keep your family immunized and healthy during the holiday season.

“We generally see an outbreak of whooping cough, known medically as pertussis, every 4 to 5 years,” said Dr. Kerry Sheehan, pediatrician on staff at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. “In 2004, we saw a large number of cases in this area and another small outbreak in 2007.”

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, DuPage County is one of 4 counties in the Chicagoland area with a large increase in whooping cough cases, along with Cook, McHenry and Lake.

It's important to remember that all infants are immunized with a series of vaccinations from birth up to 18 months in age, the pertussis/whooping cough vaccine being one of them.

“Although infants are immunized, when we reach junior high age, the immune system is slowly losing that tolerance,” said Sheehan. “Teenagers receive the immunization booster in high school again, but can receive it as early as 11 years old to prevent the disease.”

Adults are also eligible to receive a pertussis booster to eliminate the chance of spreading the disease.

“At first pertussis may look like a common cold with a runny nose and fever, but if severe, rapid coughing fits persist, check with your doctor so that the disease does not affect other family members especially infants,” said Sheehan.

“Continue to keep up with proper hygiene measures in and out of the home, including extra hand washing, covering coughs, not sharing drinks, towels or even toothbrush cups in the bathroom,” said Sheehan.