Two more cases of whooping cough have been confirmed in North Kingstown, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. The newest confirmations bring the number of students diagnosed with the whooping cough (also known as pertussis) to eight in town. According to WPRI, that brings the total to 35 across the state in this year alone.
Officials from the Department of Health are urging children and adults to get vaccinated against the illness. The state is holding a vaccination clinic at the high school on Monday from 4 to 7 p.m.
Reported cases of whooping cough across the country have nearly doubled in 2012 in what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is calling the worst year for pertussis in five decades. According to the Huffington Post, roughly 18,000 cases have been reported across the country. Nine children have died.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that can strike people of any age and is most dangerous to children. The initial signs of whooping cough feature cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, fever and mild cough. Parents are urged to seek medical attention for children who develop a prolonged or severe cough.
