More than 25,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported in the United States so far this year, updated federal data shows.
This is the second year in a row with higher-than-usual cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At the same time this year, around 33,000 cases were reported..
Cases are well above pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, around 18,600 cases of whooping cough were recorded, CDC data sample.
Excluding last year, the last time whooping cough cases were this high was in 2014, when more than 32,900 cases were recorded, according to the CDC.
Meanwhile, doctor visits for whooping cough are trending downward from the peak seen in the winter of last year, but still remain elevated compared to previous years. epic research data sample.
Whooping cough, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These bacteria adhere to the cilia of the upper respiratory system and release toxins. The toxins damage cilia (tiny hair-like structures on the surface of cells) and cause the upper airways to swell.
The disease is especially dangerous for babies and young children, and several deaths have been recorded this year, including in Louisiana and washington state.
Whooping cough is spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. Infected people can be contagious for weeks without knowing they have whooping cough.
The first symptoms often resemble a common cold (runny nose, cough, and low-grade fever) and usually last one to two weeks. SymptomsHowever, it can progress to rapid, violent coughing attacks that can last up to 12 weeks.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics and receiving early treatment can reduce the severity of the infection. According to the CDC, most symptoms of whooping cough can be managed at home.
A whooping cough vaccine was introduced in the late 1940s and since then, the number of cases each year has decreased dramatically, falling by more than 90% compared to the pre-vaccine era.
Before the vaccine, there were an estimated 200,000 cases annually among children and up to 9,000 children died annually, according to the CDC.
Two types of vaccines are currently used to protect against pertussis: the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for infants and children under 7 years of age and the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for children 7 years of age and older, adults, and pregnant women.
However, vaccination rates for screaming cough have steadily decreased in recent years, CDC data shows.
Only 92.1% of kindergarten children were vaccinated against screaming cough during 2024-25 school year, compared to about 95% before the pandemic, during the 2019-2020 school year.
