The West Virginia Department of Health is warning doctors, hospitals and county health departments that whooping cough is on the rise. Kanawha County Health Department officer Dr. Steven Eshenaur said. “This year, so far, we’re tracking approximately 126 known contacts. That’s the most we have seen since 2010.” State officials noted a shift from infant cases to older adolescents and adults, primarily due to waning vaccine immunity to the highly-contagious respiratory disease.