CDC Warns Whooping Cough Cases Are 6 Times Higher Than a Year Ago

‘The United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year,’ the CDC said.

An undated image produced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a whooping cough, or pertussis, bacteria cluster. US CDC

Cases of whooping cough have increased about six-fold since the same time period last year, according to new data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a recent update.

As of Dec. 14, the last data available, more than 32,000 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, have been reported across the United States, according to the CDC’s update on Dec. 20.

The data show that more than “six times as many cases have been reported as of week 50 ... compared to the same time in 2023,” the CDC said in a separate statement on Dec. 19. “The number of reported cases this year is higher than what was seen at the same time in 2019, prior to the pandemic.”

About 5,100 whooping cough cases were reported during the same time period last year, CDC data show. Meanwhile, for all of last year, more than 6,500 cases were recorded, the CDC data show.

“Reports of pertussis cases were lower than usual over the past few years, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic,” the CDC added. “However, the United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year.”

Since 2002, when the United States reported 9,771 cases that year, the country has had an average of around 20,000 reported cases of pertussis each year, according to CDC figures, with a high of 48,277 in 2014. In 2019, 18,617 cases were reported, but in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reported whooping cough infections dropped significantly, with 2,116 reported in 2021.

Some mitigation measures that were used during the COVID-19 pandemic such as social distancing and mask-wearing may have lowered the transmission of whooping cough, the CDC said.

The agency then touted vaccinations but stressed that cases of the disease, caused by a bacteria that primarily infects the upper respiratory tract, can lead to more cases in “both in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations.”

“Pertussis occurs in vaccinated people since protection from vaccination fades over time,” it said. “Local and state health departments are familiar with these patterns. They’re also efficient at responding to increasing pertussis cases and implementing appropriate control strategies.”

Children get the DTaP vaccine—a series of shots that are administered for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis—while adults can receive the TDaP vaccine, which targets the same illnesses, according to health officials.

Signs and Symptoms of Whooping Cough

Although pertussis can start like the common cold, the associated cough can last for weeks or even months, officials say.

“Those who get these coughing fits say it’s the worst cough of their lives,” the CDC says.

The illness also can cause a low-grade fever, difficulty sleeping, breathing problems, and even rib fractures due to excessive coughing. The U.N. Children’s Fund recently stated that whooping cough is highly contagious and usually is spread via coughing or sneezing respiratory droplets. Symptoms generally appear a week to 10 days after infection, it noted.

Younger children and babies may struggle to breathe, while adults and older children tend to have mild symptoms that are similar to the common cold, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

If people suspect they or a family member has whooping cough or has been exposed, they should call their doctor, clinic, or nurse and ask to be diagnosed.