Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, which can spread from person to person through the air via droplets of saliva, according to the DHS. It can be spread by a sick person coughing or sneezing, or by spending time near an infected person.

State health officials are monitoring increasing cases of whooping cough and pneumonia. Children and adolescents are primarily affected by those bacterial respiratory illnesses, Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Wednesday as he urged clinicians and families to be on the lookout for potential symptoms.