OLYMPIA, Wash.  (Metro)  -- State health officials say the number of cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has passed the 2500 mark in Washington, 14 times the number a year ago. 

Health Secretary Mary Selecky tells KING-TV that anyone who hasn't received a vaccination should get one as soon as possible. 

Selecky says the group most affected by whooping cough is children 10 to 13 years of age. 

She says children who were vaccinated for whooping cough during early childhood should receive booster shots as early as age eleven.
 
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