Whooping cough was confirmed at a second Wake County public school (2025)

A case of whooping cough was confirmed at a second Wake County public school.

Leesville Road High School in North Raleigh sent an email to parents on Wednesday, April 23, saying Wake County Health & Human Services confirmed a case of the highly contagious respiratory illness, which is also known as pertussis, among one of the school’s students.

In March, a whooping cough case was confirmed at Oberlin Magnet Middle School, .

There have been 28 confirmed cases of pertussis in Wake County since January 2025, according to Wake County Health & Human Services. That’s more than half of the 49 cases confirmed in Wake County in 2024.

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough is a common disease in the United States. Outbreaks can occur in places such as schools and childcare centers, hospitals and large geographic areas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease is named for the “whoop” noise when someone gasps for air after a coughing fit.

Babies younger than 1 year old are at greatest risk for getting pertussis and having severe complications from it. Many babies who have pertussis do not cough, but instead have apnea, which is life-threatening pauses in breathing.

People who have pre-existing health concerns such as immunocompromising conditions or moderate to severe medically treated asthma are also at high risk for developing a severe infection.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may not appear for five to 10 days after a person is exposed to the bacteria that cause whooping cough, according to the CDC.

According to the notice from Wake County Health & Human Services, students and staff at Leesville Road High School may have been around the person who has whooping cough between Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8.

Whooping cough begins like the common cold, with early symptoms including a runny or congested nose, a low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough.

Later, around a week or two after the first symptoms, people may develop coughing fits known as paroxysms, according to the CDC. The fits usually last one to six weeks but can continue for up to 10 weeks. As the illness continues, the cough tends to worsen.

The fits can cause people to vomit during or after coughing, feel very tired, have difficulty sleeping, struggle to breathe or fracture a rib.

Leesville Road High School parents were urged to call their child’s doctor if their child has:

• A weakened immune system, asthma or another breathing problem
• A long-term health problem.

They should also contact the doctor if the child lives with or spends time with:

• A woman in her third trimester of pregnancy
• A baby less than 1 year old
• A person with a weak immune system or another long-term health issue.

How is whooping cough prevented?

The best way to protect against pertussis is through vaccination.

The CDC recommends whooping cough vaccination for everyone, including babies, children, teens, adults and pregnant women. However, there are cases when someone shouldn’t get a vaccine — for example, if they had a life-threatening allergic reaction after the vaccine or have a life-threatening allergy to any part of the vaccine.

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North Carolina law requires that all children receive whooping cough vaccination.

However, there has been a slight drop in whooping cough vaccine coverage in the state in recent years, from 96.5% before the 2014-15 school year to 93.5% by the 2023-24 year, according to the CDC.

This could be one factor contributing to the recent surge in whooping cough cases, The N&O previously reported.

Whooping cough treatment

Pertussis is generally treated with antibiotics, and it’s important to treat whooping cough before coughing fits begin, according to the CDC.

This can make the illness less serious and help prevent spreading the bacteria that cause whooping cough.