Whooping Cough in West Michigan

Kent County saw six cases of whooping cough in January.

That's almost half as many as in all of 2014.

Kent County saw 14 cases of whooping cough (pertussis) in 2014. There were 17 cases of whooping cough in Kent County in 2010.

Allegan County saw even more cases last fall/winter.

In recent weeks there have been six separate whooping cough outbreaks across the country. Michigan, Washington and Nebraska are among the states which have been hit.

The Kent County Health Department says whooping cough is highly infectious and is spread when a sick person coughs around other people. It can infect up to 70 to 100 percent of close household contacts who have not been vaccinated.