MONROVIA, Ind. — A positive case of whooping cough has been identified at Monrovia High School. School administrators have reported that they learned about the positive whooping cough case at 3 p.m. Friday. Students ranging from elementary school to high school and their parents were notified of the positive case after district officials found out about it. Per the district, officials are deep-cleaning affected areas and taking proper precautions. Mayo Clinic has identified the symptoms of whooping cough as runny nose, nasal congestion, red and watery eyes, fever and cough. More severe symptoms include vomiting, red and blue face coloration and extreme fatigue. Per Mayo Clinic, whooping cough can cause patients to make a high-pitched whoop sound when taking their first breath of air after coughing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whooping cough (Pertussis) cases have been on the rise in 2024. The number of reported cases of whooping cough declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported cases of whooping cough have begun to rise to pre-pandemic levels this year. Before the pandemic, about 10,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in the U.S. each year. Per the CDC, whooping cough outbreaks are sometimes difficult to identify and manage because many cases go unreported and other bacteria or viruses can cause symptoms similar to whooping cough. The CDC encourages all people to reduce their exposure to others when they have whooping cough. Those who know they have whooping cough should seek medical evaluation and treatment in a timely fashion and promptly use preventative antibiotics when necessary. More information on whooping cough is available here.