Two unvaccinated babies die of whooping cough in KY as disease rise is predicted to continue

Two unvaccinated babies have died from pertussis, better known as whooping cough, in Kentucky in the last six months, the Kentucky Department for Public Health announced Friday.

These two deaths in infants, whose mothers were also not vaccinated against pertussis, are the first whooping cough deaths in Kentucky since 2018, the department said.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be life threatening. It is most dangerous for babies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can, however, affect people of any age.

“Anyone can get whooping cough, but infants are at greatest risk for life-threatening illness,” Dr. Steven Stack, the state’s public health commissioner, said in a statement. “Fortunately, when vaccinations are administered to pregnant women, it provides protection to both the mother and the baby.”

The state’s public health department says there have been 247 cases of whooping cough so far in 2025. In 2024, there were 543 cases, the most since 2012.

“Health officials anticipate that whooping cough will continue to increase during the summer and fall, based on historic trends,” the department said.

Vaccines are available to children as young as 2 months old and can help prevent it, the CDC says. The recommended vaccines are DTaP for children and Tdap for preteens. Concerned parents can call their primary care providers to ask about vaccines.

Symptoms of whooping cough include, according to the Kentucky Department of Public Health:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Uncontrollable coughing
• Vomiting from coughing
• Fever below 100.4 Fahrenheit
• Apnea (life-threatening pauses in breathing) and cyanosis (turning blue or purple) in infants and young children

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