The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has confirmed that an infant in the state recently died from pertussis.

The infant was less than 2 months old and MSDH said the baby was not age-eligible to be vaccinated against pertussis. Gender or location where the child lived are not shared to respect the family’s privacy.

MSDH said that whooping cough is also known as pertussis. It is very contagious and is a respiratory disease that causes uncontrollable violent coughing. This can make it hard to breathe and it can be fatal for babies under 1 year old.

A total of 115 pertussis cases have been reported since January of this year. Last year there were only a total of 49 in the state. Since the year 2008, three children have died from whooping cough.

MSDH reccomends getting a vaccin

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