Flathead County has seen a spike in pertussis, or whooping cough, cases in recent months.  

The county recorded 21 cases of pertussis, a respiratory disease that poses a danger to infants, in 2024 with 11 confirmed in November and six in December. The uptick toward the year’s end prompted health officials to toy with describing it as an outbreak. 

“I would probably consider that to be an outbreak, but it also depends on where the cases originated from,” said Lisa Dennison, the county population health manager, at a Jan. 16 Flathead City-County Board of Health meeting. 

The number is only reflective of confirmed cases, meaning that actual infection rates may be higher. 

The cases were dispersed throughout the community, Dennison said, and some were associated with schools. As they track the rate of infection, Dennison said that they continue to see more and more cases among unvaccinated individuals.  

Usually, children received the TDAP vaccine — the same vaccine that is used for tetanus — at two, four and six months. Patients receive another dose at 15 months, which Dr. Ken Graham, a pediatrician at Logan Health, described as an essential booster. At 4 years old, 10 years old, and other times into adulthood, the vaccine is given again to ensure immunity. 

“Pertussis is here every month of the year,” said Graham, who has been practicing for over 30 years. “The reason why is in the Flathead area we don’t have the rate of vaccinations we need.” 

To reach immunity, Graham said, a population needs 92 to 95% of people vaccinated. Flathead County is much lower than that, he said.  

Without a vaccinated population, Graham said, it is hard to protect against a whooping cough spread.  

On Jan. 14, Kalispell Public Schools officials notified parents by email that a child in the district was diagnosed with whooping cough. Children within the class could have been exposed between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8, the email said.  

School officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment. 

The pertussis vaccination is required for all students at Kalispell Public Schools. But since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have grown critical of vaccinations in general, despite their historical effectiveness in treating diseases like polio and measles, Graham said.  

“There is nothing we do, across the world, that helps prevent disease like vaccines do,” Graham said. 

A current focus for pediatricians is educating pregnant women about the vaccine and whooping cough in general. Graham recommends that an expecting mother receive the vaccine during their pregnancy in preparation to better protect the child.  

Whooping cough, an infection that affects the airways, easily spreads from person to person through coughing, sneezing and from particles in the air. Those infected usually will exhibit cold symptoms and a cough that gradually gets worse over a couple of weeks. Once a severe cough develops, it can last for weeks or months. 

Nationwide, the number of confirmed cases is the highest it's been in more than 10 years, according to a report by CNN. As of Dec. 25, there were more than 32,000 reported cases in 2024, about six times more than there were at that time in 2023 and more than there have ever been since 2014.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that whooping cough fell during and after the pandemic, and that data is showing case numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels. Measures taken to ward off covid-19 likely stifled transmission of whooping cough.  

While the infection can be dangerous for babies and at-risk individuals, anyone can get whooping cough. If caught early enough, doctors can treat it to some degree with antibiotics to help reduce the rate of spread. 

Although the vaccines for whooping cough are effective, the protection decreases over time. Graham encouraged anyone concerned to get a booster. 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].