(Angie Wang/The Associated Press)
Some communicable respiratory illnesses saw a resurgence in Arkansas last year, specifically pertussis and tuberculosis, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.
There were 362 cases of pertussis, known as whooping cough, in Arkansas in 2024, with 86% of those cases in people under 19 years old, ADH public information officer Danyelle McNeill said. In contrast, the state saw 38 pertussis cases in 2023, 19 in 2022 and 16 in 2021. The state had not seen more than 300 cases since 2009, when there were 369 cases…