Whooping cough surfaces in 3 counties

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The New Mexico Department of Health says four infants have been hospitalized in the past month for treatment of whooping cough.

The highly contagious respiratory infection formally called pertussis can be fatal to the very young but is preventable by getting an immunization called tdap (T-Dap).

Infants can't get a shot until they're two months old and aren't fully protected until getting a third dose at 6 months, so mothers and others in the home are being urged to make sure they're vaccinated.

Infants commonly get pertussis from an infected family member.

The health department says the sick infants were all less than 4 months old and lived in Dona Ana, Sandoval and Valencia counties. No infants have died of pertussis in the state since 2005.