CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — It might not be Jack Frost nipping at your nose this holiday season. 

The Champaign Public Health District reports an increase in Pertussis cases, also known as whooping cough. Dawn Carson, a communicable disease investigator with the public health district, shares how this can impact holiday gatherings. 

"It's that time of the year when people spend a lot more time indoors as we're about to head into Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa..." she says. Close contact can lead to the spread of highly contagious illnesses like whooping cough. 

Doctors across Champaign County are seeing a rise in cases, with six times the number reported compared to 2023. 

"This appears to be one of those years where we are experiencing a spike in cases. In Champaign County so far this year, we have been notified of 26 cases. And last year and all of 2023, we had three cases" explains Dawn. She shares, the highly transmittable illness, can present itself like a cold.

The major difference is in it's persistent cough that can last for days after contracting it. 

"You can catch it by breathing in droplets from someone who's coughing. When those droplets can also land on surfaces, you can catch it by touching surfaces that have been coughed on."

Healthcare workers share that the illness poses it's greatest risk to infants and young children. Without a vaccine, they are most vulnerable. Dawn explains how "...they don't have a strong cough reflex, so it's harder for them to completely clear their lungs when they're coughing. They can have difficulty and challenges in breathing."

The best way to stay protected is to stay up to date with vaccinations. It is encouraged that most children are immunized against pertussis with a series of vaccine doses, but these can be forgotten about or even wear off. 

"The pertussis vaccination will protect you from severe illness. Those who are unvaccinated get much more severe cases," she says. 

To prevent the spread of germs and illnesses, doctors also encourage extra hand washing and covering of coughs ahead of holiday gatherings.

For more information, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/index.html.

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