Lexington has another confirmed case of pertussis or a whooping cough.

This is the third confirmed case of the highly contagious respiratory illness at a Fayette County school since late April.

Health officials are encouraging people to take steps to protect themselves, including getting a booster shot.

But as the Lexington Fayette County Health Department explains in today's medical news, only certain people should consider getting the booster.

There are now three confirmed cases of pertussis or whooping cough in schools in Lexington.

So two of those are Bryan Station High School.

One is that Lexington Catholic High School.

The first two of those were reported in late April, and the most recent one came from Bryan Station High School on Monday.

This is not a reason to panic, but it's a reason for caregivers and people at these schools to be mindful of their vaccination status and any lingering costs.

This is something that's pretty common during the school year.

You do see a spread among school age kids fairly often.

Here in Lexington, we have not had a reported case in school.

These children, since February of 2022.

So we have some of that is kids weren't in schools.

People were wearing masks.

There were other protections in place.

So this just shows the reason this shows the importance of vaccinations, proper handwashing and staying home when you're sick.

Right now, the symptoms to be watching for are typical cold symptoms.

That's how whooping cough shows itself at first.

So anyone, though, who has a nagging cough so you've been coughing for a week, you're not getting that relief.

It doesn't have to be the big violent whooping cough that goes with the name, just a cough that won't go away.

It's a good idea to get checked out by your provider.

So it's something that if you have that cough, it won't go away.

Get checked out and if you've been exposed to it, follow the guidelines from the health department and your provider to make sure you're not at risk of potentially spreading to other people.

It is highly contagious and it is spread through the air through those costs.

Right now, this is not an outbreak status.

This is not a reason for Lexington at large to be concerned or in a panic, but just to be mindful and take the steps to make sure those vaccines are up to date.

It is a requirement for school age children.

So most kids in Kentucky already have this vaccine.

This can affect anyone.

It's a high risk for babies and older adults with babies and infants that can cause death, unfortunately.

So you want to take steps to not only protect yourself, but to really protect those who are at highest risk.

So that's again, why it's so important to protect the younger members of the community, these babies and the infants who can't get the vaccine or who haven't received it.

The booster is available for anyone older than 11, and it does weaken over time.

So if you are someone who is pregnant or about to be pregnant, if you're someone who you're a caregiver of a young child or you're an uncle grandparent or somebody who's going to be around a baby, now is the time to make sure that you're up to date on the vaccine and the booster and to get one if you need it.