1/16/12 – Nine students in the Ashland school district are among the ten cases of whooping cough reported from Ashland County. The public health department says an adult also has the disease. In addition, another four people are being watched and may have Pertussis. The first case was reported from Ashland Middle School last December. That’s around the same time the Dodge County Health Department issued a warning about an increase in the reported cases of the contagious bacterial disease. Local Health Officer Jody Langfeldt said Dodge County had seven reported cases this year, which twice as many as in a normal year. Langfeldt says the symptoms are similar to the common cold. Additional information is on the health department’s website: http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/dph_bcd/communicable/factsheets/pertussus.htm
