POSTED: Monday, November 19, 2012 - 7:13pm UPDATED: Monday,
November 19, 2012 - 8:07pm Whooping cough is back and local
schools are seeing an increase in cases. So, what is it exactly
and how dangerous is it for your kids? It’s called Pertussis,
but most of us know it as whooping cough. It can be deadly, and
is preventable. Even so, deaths nationwide are going up. Schools
are dealing with it. And the message sent out by Lindale ISD
Friday was similar to what many districts are seeing. "Very
contagious. Very contagious. If you think about coughing and
sneezing. A sneeze can travel at 200 miles per hour," says
Silvia Radcliffe, an infectious disease nurse at Trinity Mother
Francis. "Well it just starts off as a common cold,” she says,
“And then a cough can develop and if you have a cough that lasts
greater than one to two weeks, you may have pertussis." Whooping
cough is the only preventable disease that is seeing an increase
in deaths nationwide, 17 last year. And worldwide, 49 million
people catch the disease