Associated Press
Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo has been diagnosed with whooping cough, a rare and contagious disease that’s officially known as pertussis.
The freshman Republican has been ill for several weeks with the disease, which has largely been quelled in the U.S. through vaccination.
Curbelo was vaccinated as a child, his office says, but did not receive recommended booster shots as an adult. He was probably contagious in early- to mid-July but no longer is so.
The disease is typically marked by a severe cough that is often followed by a deep breath that sounds like “whoop.” It has a reputation as a childhood disease but often strikes adults whose immunity has faded.
The Capitol physician’s office has referred Curbelo’s case to the Washington, D.C., health department.
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
