MODESTO BEE
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

By KEN CARLSON
BEE STAFF WRITER

Last Updated: November 15, 2006, 10:26:24 AM PST

The Northern San Joaquin Valley was hit with outbreaks of whooping cough in 2005, and the illness hasn't gone away.

As of this month, Stanislaus County has 75 confirmed cases in 2006. That is fewer than the 110cases in 2005, when the illness was confirmed in seven cities in the county and outbreaks occurred in some schools.

But the 2006 count is much higher than in previous years when the county recorded fewer than 20cases.

San Joaquin County has recorded 35 cases this year, the most since 1999, when 37 people came down with whooping cough.

The contagious bacterial infection is characterized by a cough lasting more than two weeks. The telltale sign is a "whooping" sound as the person struggles to inhale during a coughing fit. Coughing followed by vomiting is another symptom.

The illness can be fatal to infants; older children and adults may have the cough for weeks or even several months.

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