The 12th case of whooping cough has been confirmed in Lexington, this time at Fredrick Douglass High School. Kevin Hall, the spokesperson for the Lexington Fayette County Health Department, said preventative antibiotics are recommended for high-risk students who may have been exposed.
That includes students with chronic illness or those who live with people with a chronic illness.
“Those are the people who can really develop severe complications and the antibiotics are just kind of help prevent and offset any of those symptoms that could hit with whooping cough,” he said.
Whooping cough, also known as Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by coughing and sneezing. It affects people of all ages but can be most serious in infants and those with chronic diseases. It can be prevented with a vaccine and Hall recommends that all pregnant women talk to their doctor about receiving a booster shot. Hall said the name may not telegraph they seriousness of the disease.
“The name does sound very old fashioned, very old-timey and doesn't sound as serious as it can be. It's people think, Oh, it's just a cost. It's not that big of an issue. But it'd be a cost that is so violent, that it can cause people to cracked ribs.”
Hall said people routinely received a vaccine against whooping cough but a booster is recommended for teens and adults and any pregnant women. This case is the 12th so far in Fayette County this year.?
