Whooping cough cases jump in Flathead Valley

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.