LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Kentucky is experiencing a surge in whooping cough, with state officials confirming 566 cases so far this season — the most since 2012 — and a third infant death announced Monday.

It’s the first time since 2018 the state has seen children die from the disease, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, spreads easily through close contact.

“You can catch it by being close to someone who’s infected with the bacteria, and they cough or sneeze out droplets, and you inhale those,” said Dr. Kris Bryant, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Norton Children’s Hospital.

Bryant said three deaths is high for any year and warned that infants are most at risk.

“When pertussis cases go up, we expect to see cases in th

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