Health Officials: 154 Cases of Whooping Cough in County

With 154 cases of whooping cough now reported in the county, health officials are encouraging those to take such symptoms as "just a cough" more seriously than usual. 

"This outbreak is considered underreported as many residents put off going to the doctor for 'just for a cough.' This translates into more people getting infected," said Debra Quakenbush, the McHenry County Health Department community information coordinator, in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon. "Residents should be seeking treatment sooner."

A walk-in vaccination clinic for the whooping cough will be held Thursday, Dec. 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at . The health department has more information on the walk-in clinic on its website. 

There have been no hospitalizations reported due to the outbreak at this time, Quakenbush said. 

The county saw its last major whooping cough outbreak in 2004 with 192 total cases reported over a five-month period.

The McHenry County Health Department first received reports of . 

Patch.com now has all of our reporting on the whooping cough outbreak in one place. Visit this page for all of our articles on the outbreak, a timeline detailing the spread of the outbreak and information on symptoms, suggested vaccinations and treatment for the whooping cough.