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Parents are concerned about whooping cough going into the school year | ABC Fox Missoula

The Missoula City-County Health Department issued a warning Thursday saying the pertussis outbreak continues.

Just days into the new school year the number of pertussis cases continues to go up.

A whooping cough outbreak hit the area at the end of the last school year and over the summer health officials say the number of cases did slow down, but warn cases could be on the rise again for this new school year.

“Its worrisome,” Missoula Parent Shannon Pederson said, “I work in health care and we see what whooping cough does to little people more than adults. For it to be in schools, its scary.”

Pederson has two kids of her own, who are both vaccinated against pertussis, and she hopes the other children in her kid's class are as well.

“I personally hope that all kids that can tolerate vaccines would be vaccinated,” Pederson said

And She’s not alone.

“It seems that people are still having hesitations about vaccinating and it seems herd immunity isnt keeping kids protected from pertussis,” Missoula Parent Romy McGahan said.

The Missoula City County Health Department said this year there has been 169 confirmed cases of whooping cough. Thats the most cased reported in Missoula County since 2012 when there were just 23 cases.

And the number of cases keeps going up.

"We got our most recent case in a school age child just a few days ago" Health Promotions Director Cindy Farr said.

Farr also said it is important for everyone to understand that by giving out vaccines they are trying to protect the most vulnerable people in our community.

"There are high risk individuals that could get a lot worse out comes if they were to develop pertussis" Farr said

Like pregnant women, the elderly, or infants.

“I just think tis a bigger picture and we all have to keep that in mind and that we are a larger world than just our own nuclear families,” McGahan said.

The latest number of whooping cough cases comes after ABC FOX Montana reported on Tuesday a student at target range elementary school tested positive for pertussis.

Health Officials want to remind everyone to regularly wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and most importantly, if you or a child are feeling sick stay home.