Officials in Haywood County, North Carolina, have confirmed their twelfth active case of whooping cough within the county.

On Wednesday, officials said among the confirmed cases, three are adults, and the rest are children and teens under the age of 19.

Haywood Health and Human Services will continue to monitor closely and will provide updates to the community as the number of active cases changes.

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that spreads through coughing or sneezing. It causes intense coughing fits that can interfere with breathing, eating, and sleeping.

The illness can be especially dangerous for babies, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.

Common symptoms of whooping cough:

Long or severe coughing fi

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