As the Texas weather cools, you may be hearing more coughs due to an increase in whooping cough disease, according to Texas Health and Human Services. Pertussis, often referred to as whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial infection accompanied by uncontrollable coughing spells.

The McHenry County Department of Health is urging residents to take extra precautions to reduce the spread of the highly contagious respiratory illness.

State health officials are monitoring increasing cases of whooping cough and pneumonia.Children and adolescents are primarily affected by those bacterial respiratory illnesses,<a class="excerpt-read-m

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported a sharp rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in 2024, with the number of cases so far this year nearly tripling compared to the same period in 2023.

Whooping cough cases increase at the University of Cincinnati