There have been 26 confirmed cases of Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, in Marion this summer. The Health Department doesn't want to see the respiratory infection spread through the schools and are encouraging people to get the vaccine.
“We have 26 confirmed, seven suspected and one probable,” said Marion Epidemiologist Carlie Rees.
That's since school let out in June. All the cases are kids from the same school who have contact with each other.
The cases have died down but Marion Public Health wants to make sure no more pop up.
Rees says the immunization doesn’t protect you completely from getting pertussis, but it lessens the symptoms greatly.
Infants are immunized, but health officials say kids need the booster around seventh grade because the vaccine starts to lose its effectiveness.
Whooping Cough starts like a common cold: a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes and a sore throat.
“You’ll have coughing spells where you’re coughing and coughing and you can’t seem to stop. It can be very serious if it’s untreated, especially in infants,” Rees explains.
Marion’s Health Commissioner knows some parents opt out of vaccines, but if the outbreak gets worse they say they'll have to ask those kids to stay home.
“It truly is to protect that child but it’s also to protect anybody who’s around that child should that child get sick,” said Health Commissioner Tom Quade.
Marion Public Health is holding a vaccination clinic for Pertussis at Grant Middle School, Monday, August 15 from 3 - 7 p.m.
For more information on the Marion pertussis outbreak, visit: http://www.marionpublichealth.org/2016/06/pertussis/