At least 15 whooping cough cases confirmed in Kansas

Sofi Zeman, The Kansas City Star on Nov 4, 2025

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Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Wyandotte County, Kansas, and local health officials are advising residents to keep an eye out for symptoms of the illness and stay up to date with their vaccinations.

They also recommend staying home when sick, keeping up with personal hygiene and, if needed, wearing a face mask for an added layer of protection, according to a recent news release from the Wyandotte County Public Health Department.

Anyone who contracts the illness should seek medical attention and get treated with antibiotics sooner than later, according to the health department.

As of late October, the health department identified at least 15 cases of whooping cough this year, which is three times the amount the county has seen in recent years. Multiple cases began in the month of October.

“While this may not sound like a large number at first, this is at least triple the total cases for Wyandotte in 2024 (

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious respiratory disease that typically begins with common cold symptoms and then worsens if left untreated.

“One to two weeks after symptoms start, people may develop a severe cough and start having rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits,” according to the release. “These coughing fits can cause people to vomit, struggle to breath, or even fracture a rib.”

People with whooping cough can be contagious for multiple weeks, and it can take between five days and three weeks after exposure for someone with whooping cough to start showing symptoms.

It’s worth noting that the identified cases include people who went to get medical treatment and received diagnoses for their symptoms. It’s possible others have contracted the illness and not received care for it.

The department has reason to believe there are more cases in the area, or places where people have been exposed, but it can’t provide specific information yet due to patient privacy, said Janell Friesen, a health department spokesperson.

Getting a vaccination for whooping cough, which many do as infants and young children, can help protect people who are at risk of experiencing severe symptoms, said Terrie Garrison, the interim director of the health department, in the news release.

“This helps protect them and people near them who are most vulnerable to getting very sick from whooping cough, like babies and young children,” Garrison said in the release.

The health department said it is advising health care providers to keep patients with respiratory symptoms in mind for whooping cough and to test and treat them if necessary.

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