Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Kansas health officials say they have seen an unusually high number of pertussis, or whooping cough, cases this year.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Tuesday they have received reports of 56 confirmed cases of pertussis this year. In 2011, there were only 52 confirmed cases reported for the entire year.

This year's cases have been reported in Ford, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Nemaha, Riley and Sedgwick counties. KDHE officials say during 2011 and 2012, they have investigated eight separate pertussis outbreaks, including the ongoing outbreak in Johnson County.

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory illness spread by coughing and sneezing. It can affect everyone, but is most serious for infants. For more information about the symptoms of pertussis and how to prevent it, please click the link below.