Whooping Cough Cases Nearly Hit Highest Number in a Decade

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released preliminary data that shows more than five times as many whooping cough (pertussis) cases have been reported as of Oct. 12, compared to the same time last year.

As of Oct. 12, 18,506 cases of whooping cough have been reported to the CDC. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800, The Associated Press reported.

Whooping cough is an endemic disease in the U.S. with peaks in reported cases of whooping cough every few years, the CDC said. Still, the U.S. is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year. The number of reported cases this year is also higher than what was seen at the same time in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

While vaccination in the best way to prevent whooping cough, as typical infection patterns return to the U.S., the CDC expects pertussis cases to increase both in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations. Pertussis occurs in vaccinated people since protection from vaccination fades over time. Currently, pertussis boosters are recommended about every 10 years, starting in the tween years. As CMM previously reported, tweens and teens whose immunity against whooping cough has decreased are driving outbreaks in many states. 

Additionally, during the 2023-2024 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners in the U.S. decreased for all reported vaccines from the year before, ranging from 92.3% for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) to 92.7% for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR), the CDC reported. Exemptions from one or more vaccines among kindergartners in the U.S. also increased to 3.3% from 3.0% the year before, which marks an all-time high for vaccine exemptions.