U.S. health officials say whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that so far this year there have been about 18,

MILWAUKEE — Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year ... Whooping cough, also called pertussis, usually starts out like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, before turning into a prolonged cough.

Whooping cough or pertussis numbers across the United States are at the highest level in the last ten years, according to the CDC. More than 18,506 cases have been reported so far - most at this point in the year since 2014.