US EditionThird Unvaccinated Infant Dies of Whooping Cough in Kentucky This Year
Kentucky reports 566 pertussis cases with low school vaccination rates linked to three infant deaths in the worst outbreak since 2012, officials said.
- As of Nov. 19, the Kentucky Department for Public Health reported a third infant death from whooping cough this year, in the state's worst outbreak since 2012.
- Kentucky's school immunization data show only 86% of kindergartners and 85% of seventh graders are vaccinated, and none of the infants and their mothers had received pertussis vaccination, health officials said.
- Whooping cough is a highly contagious illness that typically begins with a runny nose and mild cough, progressing after one to two weeks to violent fits that can cause breathing difficulty, and infants younger than 1 year old face the greatest risk.
- Health officials urged Kentuckians to get vaccinated and stay current, recommending boosters for teens and adults every 10 years and Tdap for pregnant women during each pregnancy.
- The three infant deaths mark the state's first fatalities since 2018, with infants younger than 1 year old facing the greatest risk and DTaP vaccine starting at 2 months.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Third unvaccinated infant dies of whooping cough in Kentucky this year
An infant has died from whooping cough in Kentucky, the third such instance in the past 12 months, state health officials said Monday. The infant and their mother were not vaccinated against the illness, officials from the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) noted in a release. In June, KDPH officials said two infants in…
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern
Pertussis or whopping cough is most dangerous to babies. Vaccination beginning at 2 months is the best way to prevent it. (Getty Images)A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease also known as whooping cough. Kentucky’s three infant deaths from whooping cough over the past 12 months are the state’s first reported since 2018. Non…
Third infant pertussis death reported in KY in 12 months
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) - State health officials with the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) announced a third infant has died from pertussis, which is a highly contagious respiratory infection that has been increasing in prevalence across the United States in part due to declining vaccination rates. Officials say this is the third pertussis-related infant [...]
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