Two cases of whopping cough have been confirmed in a Sidney family, said a Delaware County health official.

As a precaution, people who may have been infected have been warned about the symptoms, said county Public Health Nursing Service Supervisor Cathy Bartlett, so they can contact their doctor if there is a question.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is not uncommon, Bartlett said. There were eight cases in the county last year. It can be especially dangerous for very young infants or the elderly, she said.

The bacterial infection often is picked up by family members or health workers, she said, because it cannot be caught by casual contact. The disease is spread through the air from an infected person by coughing or sneezing, according to a letter to those who may have been exposed to the infection. For privacy reasons, Bartlett would not say who the infected people were or if they attended Sidney school.

The disease is marked by a persistent cough that can leave those infected breathless, she said. The most-serious complication is secondary bacterial pneumonia. Other complications include middle ear infection, loss of appetite, dehydration and seizures, the letter said.

People need to be alert to the symptoms, she said. If someone has a cold that doesn't go away, she said, he or she should see their doctor. There is generally only a slight fever, according to the letter. The cough is often worse at night, and cough medicines often do not provide relief.

With about 80 percent of children receiving immunization, Bartlett said, the disease is controlled. But in the two Sidney cases, she said, both people had their shots, which are not always effective.

If people come down with a cold that includes a cough they are being asked to call their doctor, without delay, and tell them pertussis has been diagnosed in others in the area, the letter said.

Although the symptoms in both Sidney cases appeared in mid-April, Bartlett said, test results were received by the patients' doctor Monday and the doctor contacted her on Tuesday. The school affected was notifying parents and sending home letters about the symptoms, she said. Only those school-age children who came in contact with the two received the notice.

Anyone who has the disease can usually resume normal activity after five days of antibiotics, Bartlett said. Both cases have been on medication at least that long, she said. The incubation time is 21 days, she said.

For more information, those concerned should contact their doctor or call the nursing service at 746-3166.