Staff Report
Several pertussis cases have been reported in Schoharie County, according to the county Department of Health.
The department announced the cases Wednesday in a news release.
Public-health director Kathleen Farrell Strack said there were seven confirmed cases, eight probable cases and two suspected cases. The cases are all over the county, Farrell Strack said, and are not linked.
Patients include infants and senior citizens, Farrell Strack said. No one has been hospitalized.
Another name for pertussis is whooping cough. It is an airborne disease that is spread by sneezing or coughing. Schoharie County’s release said symptoms can include a long series of coughs and a slight fever; the cough can be worse at night, and the patient may have coughing symptoms for months.
Children must have pertussis vaccines to attend school; children who have been vaccinated can still get the disease, but will often get a milder form.
"It has to do with waning immunity," Farrell S
