There were more than 200 cases of whooping cough in January reported in the state of Nebraska.
That was higher than the total case numbers for previous years and is a cause for concern according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Tom Safranek, State Epidemiologist, says people need to be aware that whooping cough is a real problem in Nebraska right now.
He says those most at risk are kids under the age of 15 but parents can help their kids by making sure they are vaccinated.
Safranek says adults are just as likely to get whooping cough too so it’s important they be vaccinated too. And he says there are other measures they can take as well.
"Early diagnosis, early treatment, isolation of an individual so they don’t expose others. It’s a critical public health tool we have so that they and part of the importance of us getting this message out is alerting people to the potential of having whooping cough should they come down with the hacking cough that is so characteristic of whooping cough.”
Safranek says individuals can also help prevent the spread of the disease by washing hands frequently and covering their coughs and sneezes. More information is available online at dhhs.ne.gov/immunization.