Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services warns that cases of whooping cough are on the rise. Over the past three months, health officials in Iowa’s largest county have confirmed 19 cases of pertussis — the scientific name for whooping cough. Addie Olson is a spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department.
Whooping cough or pertussis symptoms start out like the common cold, but can develop into fits of coughing — as many as 15 coughs a minute — followed by a whooping sound as the patient inhales.
Whooping cough is most dangerous for infants. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a five-year-old in the state of Washington have died from whooping cough. Federal health officials say twice as many cases of whooping cough have been reported so far in 2025 compared to a typical year.
South Dakota is seeing similar numbers. Their Department of Health was reporting nearly double the number of cases as the five-year average already in February.
(Reporting by Lucia Cheng, Iowa Public Radio with additional information from KIWA)
KIWA Staff Photo
