State health officials have reported the first pertussis, or whooping cough, death in Mississippi of 2025.

The Mississippi State Department of Health confirmed Monday that an infant under 2 months old died from the highly contagious bacterial infection. The child, whose name and location of death were not announced, was too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough.

Pertussis, according to officials, causes uncontrollable, violent coughs that make it hard to breathe. It most commonly affects infants and young children and can be fatal, especially in babies under 1 year old. To date, 115 pertussis cases have been reported by MSDH since January 1 of this year.

This is a sharp increase from the 49 pertussis cases reported during 2024. Including this death, there have been three pediatr

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