Lexington has another case of whooping cough at a high school, the fourth since April

A case of pertussis, or whooping cough, has been confirmed at Lafayette High School, marking the city’s fourth since late April.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is investigating to see if a possible connection exists in the cases and continues to work with Fayette County Public Schools to make caregivers aware of the threat of pertussis.

Since late April, two cases of whooping cough have been confirmed at Lexington’s Bryan Station High School and one at Lexington Catholic High School.

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, health department officials said Tuesday in a news release.

The health department is recommending preventive antibiotics for high-risk students who were exposed to pertussis.

That includes students with a chronic illness or weakened immune system and those who live in households with the following: a family member with a chronic illness or weakened immune system, an infant or a pregnant woman.

Any school-age children with symptoms of pertussis should stay home from school and visit their health care provider for evaluation, even if they have previously been vaccinated. If found to have probable or confirmed pertussis, they should remain out of school until completion of their antibiotics, officials said.

What are the symptoms of whooping cough or pertussis?

The early symptoms are similar to a common cold: runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and coughing. After 1-2 weeks, the cough often gets worse, changing from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable, sometimes violent, coughing, according to health department officials.

The vaccine against pertussis is routine and required for school-age kids. The last confirmed cases of pertussis among school-aged children in Lexington were in February 2022, health department spokesperson Kevin Hall previously said.