South Dakota child dies from whooping cough, flu, state health department says
A South Dakota child has died after contracting whooping cough and influenza, the South Dakota Department of Health said.
The death reported Friday is the state’s first whooping cough-related death since 2023, the department said in a news release.
“I and everyone at the Department of Health offer our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family for this unimaginable loss,” Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt said in a news release.
Whooping cough, also known as whooping cough, is making a comeback in the United States.
More: A 35-year-old woman died Sunday from suspected exposure in Sioux Falls; police seeking information
Cases of whooping cough, commonly known as whooping cough, increased dramatically in South Dakota in 2024, according to the South Dakota Health Department’s Communicable Disease Dashboard, a website that tracks the occurrence of diseases ranging from anthrax to West Nile virus.
While the department has not yet released data for 2025, 361 pertussis cases were reported in South Dakota in 2024, according to the dashboard.
Sioux Falls has reported the highest number of cases, 139, according to the dashboard. The lowest number of 10 people was reported in the western part of the state.
The dashboard shows that whooping cough cases spiked across the state in October and remained high through the end of the year. The disease is most likely to affect children under 14 years old.
Following a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, infections are also trending upward across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms of whooping cough?
Early symptoms of whooping cough often resemble those of the common cold, according to the release. These symptoms include a runny nose, low-grade fever, and possibly a cough.
The two-week symptoms include “a rapid cough, followed by a high-pitched grunting” and then “mucus discharge or vomiting,” according to the release.
The health department says whooping cough can be prevented with a vaccine, and flu vaccinations are recommended every year.
“Protection is highest among fully vaccinated people, but this protection diminishes over time,” the release said.
To prevent respiratory illness, the department recommends avoiding contact with people who may be sick, covering your mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing or coughing into your upper elbow, washing your hands frequently with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and the news Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, the release said.
This article originally appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Whooping cough, flu claim children’s lives, SD health department reports
