There’s another case of whooping cough at a Lexington school. Is it linked to others?

A case of whooping cough has been confirmed at Lexington’s Bryan Station High School, the school’s second and the city’s third since late April, officials said Tuesday.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is investigating whether a possible connection exists in the cases and continues to work with Fayette County Public Schools to make people aware of the threat of whooping cough, also called pertussis.

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by coughing and sneezing. It affects people of all ages but can be most serious in infants and those with chronic diseases, said health department spokesperson Kevin Hall.

Cases of whooping cough were confirmed last month at Bryan Station High School and Lexington Catholic High School.

The health department is recommending preventive antibiotics for high-risk students who are exposed to pertussis. This includes students with a chronic illness or weakened immune system and those who live with a family member with a chronic illness or weakened immune system, an infant or a pregnant woman.

Any school-age children with symptoms of pertussis should stay home from school and see a health care provider.

What are the symptoms of whooping cough or pertussis?

The early symptoms are similar to a common cold: runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and coughing. After one to two weeks, the cough often gets worse, changing from a dry, hacking cough to bursts of uncontrollable, sometimes violent, coughing.

The vaccine against pertussis is routine and required for school-age kids. The last confirmed cases of pertussis among school-aged children in Lexington were in February 2022, Hall previously said.