North Platte, Norfolk try to whip kids' infections

Two Nebraska cities are battling bugs, not the creepy crawly kind but the coughing, sneezing, sore throat type.
It’s a three-day weekend for students at Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk, though many of the kids apparently aren’t well enough to enjoy it. Administrators cancelled school today because more than 15-percent of the student body was absent this week due to illnesses. The principal’s hoping the long weekend will give everyone a chance to rest and recover.
Meanwhile in North Platte, Lincoln County health officials say they’ve confirmed 21 whooping cough cases now — all in children who were not vaccinated for the disease. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is highly-contagious, though if caught early, it can usually be treated with a five-day course of meds.