A surge in whooping cough cases in Oregon has prompted state and local health officials to urge residents to get vaccinated.

Oregon health officials are alarmed over the state's rising pertussis case count, which is expected to beat the state's record, Oregon Health Authority announced Thursday.

Oregon is expected to beat the state’s record for whooping cough, also known as pertussis, cases by the end of the year, as Clark County recently reported the highest number of cases among all Washington state counties.

Nearly half of this year's cases were among people who had never received a dose of whooping cough vaccines, Oregon officials said.

Also known as pertussis, the disease poses a particular threat to young babies, and five infants have died from it since 2003. At the rate things are going, cases in the state will set a new record for Oregon this year. The median age for those catching it is 11 and the youngest has been five weeks old, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

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The school system was made aware of those cases last week and immediately notified parents and staff via email.