Two unvaccinated babies have died from pertussis, better known as whooping cough, in Kentucky in the last six months, the Kentucky Department for Public Health announced Friday. These two deaths in infants, whose mothers were also not vaccinated against pertussis, are the first whooping cough deaths in Kentucky since 2018, the department said. Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be life threatening. It is most dangerous for babies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can, however, affect people of any age.