Whooping cough cases climb in Lancaster County

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on Thursday announced that cases of whooping cough continue to increase in southeast Nebraska.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious illness marked by severe coughing.

“Whooping cough is another disease that we monitor very closely, and we’ve seen a further uptick in cases in January and so far in February,” Health Director Kerry Kernen said. “We recommend people contact their health care provider if they have symptoms and stay current on whooping cough vaccine.”

Here’s a look at Lancaster County whooping cough cases in recent months:

• 2025
  • February – 29
  • January – 25
• 2024
  • December – 17
  • November – 20
  • October – 21
  • September – 4

Cases of whooping cough have also increased nationwide, according to public health data.

The disease is spread through close contact when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The sickness is most common in infants and young children.

Whooping cough can be life-threatening in babies under a year old.

Children are vaccinated against whooping cough as part of a five-vaccine series, receiving doses at 2, 4 and 6 months old. A fourth dose is given around 15 months, and the final dose is given before the child starts school.

If an adult hasn’t had pertussis-containing vaccine, they should receive one dose of the tetanus, diphtheria and Tdap, and the pertussis vaccine, followed by a booster every 10 years.

The CDC also recommends that pregnant women get the Tdap between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to protect babies from serious illness until they are old enough to get vaccinated.

The health department offers vaccines at no or low cost to eligible families through its Vaccines for Children program.

Call the health department for more information and to make an appointment at 402-441-8065.