Tonight health leaders are alerting you about new whooping cough cases now being reported in Lexington.

Pertussis, better known as the whopping cough, is on the rise in Lexington with three confirmed cases and three more that are probable just this season.

"The alarm or the concern is just the impact that it has on the community because it certainly affects family and children and it affects the workforce even," said Michelle Marra, who is the health coordinator for Fayette County public schools.

They call it herd immunity, where most people are vaccinated which protects those who aren't.

But when there is an outbreak, Laura Bradley says that's when you see an increase in cases, which is exactly what she says has happened here in Lexington.

"That's when you get outbreaks of things you haven't really seen much of in ya know 50 years," said Laura Bradley, who is the pharmacy manager at a Walgreens in Lexington.

It is not 100 percent guaranteed, but there are preventive medicines available in the form of a vaccine at your local pharmacies.

Pertussis is not like any other annoying cough.

Health professionals say the whopping cough is especially harmful for infants and the elderly.

"The people that at certainly at risk for whopping cough causing other complications whether that is dehydration or pneumonia. It's those complications that become so scary with whooping cough," said Marra.

So what's the best advice? Make sure your vaccines are up-to-date!

The CDC reports 84 percent of children and teenagers are vaccinated for whooping cough while only eight percent of adults are.

Nationwide, the CDC is reporting the most cases of whooping cough in 50 years.