Four new cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, were reported to the Madison County Health Department this week, officials said.Pertussis is a respiratory illness that is highly contagious because it is so easily spread from person to person. the disease is transmitted by people breathing in the bacteria from infected people who cough or sneeze.Debrah Knoll, personal health services manager for the Madison County Health Department, said in a news release that symptoms start with a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. after one or two weeks, the coughing can become severe with numerous, rapid coughs that include the characteristic high-pitched “whooping ” sound. the patient may turn blue or even vomit during the coughing fit. the coughing attacks occur more frequently at night.Pertussis can be treated with a course of the appropriate antibiotics. Unfortunately, many people do not realize they have pertussis until after they have exposed others. Pertussis can cause life-threatening, even fatal, complications in young children, especially those younger than 1 year of age who are not fully vaccinated. Children are vaccinated against pertussis at 2, 4, 6 and 15 months old, plus another dose before entering school at 4 to 6 years old.Many infants get pertussis from infected older siblings, parents or caregivers.Although many people do not believe this illness still occurs, the national Centers for Disease Control reported that nearly 19,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States last year, Knoll said. Vaccination is the best option for countering this disease.“In 2005, Madison County experienced a small pertussis outbreak,” Knoll said. “Thirty-nine cases of pertussis were reported in 2005, with 24 of those cases reported in November and December.”In response to the 2005 outbreak, the Madison County Health Department offered the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine to certain populations.the Tdap vaccine is licensed for those 11 to 64 years of age. During the last few years, the Madison County Health Department has recruited and encouraged new mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, day care workers and other adults who come in close contact with infants and small children to get the Tdap vaccine.recently, the Center for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Tdap vaccination for the following groups:- People older than 65 years of age who have close contact with infants.- Children 7 to 10 years of age who have not been immunized fully against pertussis, for whom no contraindication to pertussis vaccine exists or whose vaccination status against pertussis is unknown.- Adolescents and adults who have not received a dose of Tdap should be immunized as soon as feasible. Tdap can be administered regardless of the interval since the last tetanus or diphtheria-containing vaccine.Recent news reports indicate outbreaks of pertussis are occurring in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Health officials are encouraging adolescents and adults, especially those who come in close contact with children under the age of 1, to review their immunization records.