YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — Health officials say there are seven confirmed cases of pertussis or whooping cough in Kittitas County
The Yakima Herald-Republic (http://is.gd/KqhNFK ) reports there are also 11 other probable causes of the illness also known as pertussis in Kittitas County.
Kittitas County Public Health Department says pertussis is a highly contagious airborne disease that is most severe in children under a year of age and can be fatal in these young children, according to the health department.
It usually begins with cold-like symptoms, including sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, low-grade fever, and mild cough.
