Whooping cough cases spike at Ozaukee County high school

Eight students infected with whooping cough at Ozaukee County high school

The Port Washington-Saukville school district is working with a local health department to contain the outbreak

Updated: 2:02 PM CST Nov 20, 2024

Eight high school students and one middle school student were infected with whooping cough in the past two weeks, according to the Port Washington-Saukville School District. The district reports eight high school students at Port Washington High School and one middle school student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School contracted the illness. Three of the high school cases were reported this week. In a statement Tuesday, Michael McMahon, the superintendent of the Port Washington-Saukville School District, said the district notified families about the “cases and potential exposures.” The statement continued, “We are in ongoing discussions with the Washington Ozaukee County Health Department about mitigation measures, including cleaning procedures and other recommendations to ensure a safe school environment.” The school district tells 12 News that school leaders sent out a letter to families last night, asking parents to keep their children home if they have whooping cough symptoms. Those symptoms include violent coughing fits followed by a high-pitched whooping sound, vomiting after coughing, a cough that lasts for weeks or months, a runny or stuffy nose, low-grade fever, and red or watery eyes.12 News reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services about statewide whooping cases so far this year. According to the department, 1,732 people contracted whooping cough so far this year; last year, just 51 people were infected with whooping cough. This marks a 3,296% increase between 2023 and 2024. According to the state department’s data, 65 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties had at least one case since Jan. 1. Almost half (49%) of the cases were among people between 11 and 18 years old. None of the people infected died.