Health leaders are reminding people to be cautious, as several cases of contagious disease have been reported throughout Wisconsin.

Last week a child in the Milwaukee area was diagnosed with measles, and Wood County announced cases of whooping cough are on the rise.

Health officials are stressing the importance of making sure you and your family are up to date on your vaccine schedule. And there are things you can do to stop the spread of illnesses.

"One of the things you can do is good hand washing is one of the most effective things you can do to prevent disease and its also important that parents keep their kids home when they're sick," says Ruth Marx, an epidemiologist for the Marathon County Health Department.

Marx says with school starting, many kids have a greater risk of getting sick than during the summer. That's why cases of cold and flu increase too.