Not properly immunized? Your child could be more susceptible to whooping cough.

“Whooping cough. We’ve seen some excess cases,” says Dr. Shannon Greer, a family practice physician on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.

A recent study found children who were not immunized against whooping cough were 23 times more likely to get it.

Parents also played a role by denying children the proper immunizations out of fear. Dr. Greer says this is a common misconception. “The misconceptions that come with immunizing children or fears if you will, are things like, ‘Hey! My child might get the disease,” explains Dr. Greer. He says there’s another method that could calm some of those fears. “There’s basically a recommendation of a new vaccine which includes the pertussis vaccine.”

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is an infection in the respiratory system. It gets its name from the “whooping” sound that’s made at the end of a dry cough. Your child should see a physician if the coughing does not subside after a few days.