( The Texas Tribune ) More than 3,500 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, cases have been reported in Texas so far this year, already reaching a 11-year high even though two more highly infectious months are left in the year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The uptick in whooping cough, which is especially contagious in children, has coincided with a decline in vaccination rates for the illness, according to disease experts who urge the best way to control the spread is to get vaccinated. They also say whooping cough tends to spike every few years and that there isn’t a way to completely wipe out the disease.

“We practitioners and public health professionals are concerned because we are seeing a year-after-year trend of a significant increase in cas

See Full Page