Whooping Cough on the Rise

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) says reports of pertussis are beginning to rise in Northeast Kansas . Since April 1, 2012, 71 reports of pertussis have been received in Northeast Kansas counties, compared to 23 outside of Northeast Kansas . For more information, please see the attachment.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the bacteria.  Clinical symptoms of pertussis include coughing lasting longer than 2 weeks with at least one of the following:  paroxysms of coughing, inspiratory “whoop”, and post-tussive vomiting without other apparent cause. Infants and young children have the highest incidence of complications such as pneumonia, seizures, hypoxia, and encephalopathy.