CDC: Whooping Cough Cases on the Rise Across the US

Data from the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows whooping cough, known as pertussis, is on the rise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta on April 23, 2020. Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that cases of whooping cough are on the rise across the United States.

So far in 2024, there have been 4,864 whooping cough cases reported, according to the data, which was updated as of May 25. It’s almost three times higher than the 1,746 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, during the same time in 2023, the report showed.

Several states have issued alerts about whooping cough in recent weeks, including Oregon. As of May 29, some 178 cases of the bacterial infection have been reported, marking a 770 percent increase from the same time last year, said the Oregon Health Association in a news release.

“Our concern is with how quickly we jumped to such a high number of pertussis cases, which tell us that the disease is doing what it does best: spreading fast and taking a greater toll on undervaccinated persons,” Paul Cieslak, with the agency, said in the news release.

But the agency’s release said that the numbers are “roughly in line with those seen during similar time frames in the immediate pre-pandemic years, including 2019, when there were 93 cases, and 2018, which saw 248 cases.”

In neighboring Washington state, there also has been an increase in whooping cough cases, according to the Washington Department of Health. “There have been a total of 218 cases reported statewide so far in 2024, compared to 24 cases reported by week 21 in 2023,” the agency said in a recent update.

“We are likely entering an epidemic year for pertussis,” James Lewis, the health officer of Washington’s Snohomish County Health Department, said in a statement issued late last week. “This would occasionally occur pre-pandemic, and this year’s resurgence of pertussis could be larger than a typical epidemic year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many folks have fallen behind on immunizations and that, combined with the lack of pertussis circulating in recent years, has likely decreased overall immunity within the broader community.”

His office recommended that people get the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, which is often given to children.

Earlier this year, there were reports of clusters of cases among high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, several cases in Hawaii, and among young children in New York City, according to government agencies.

Outside of the United States, cases of whooping cough have risen in the United Kingdom and Europe, according to an analysis published in April.

“Pertussis incidence is high and climbing in the UK. In January 2024, there were 553 cases in England compared with 858 cases for the whole of 2023,” said the study, published in the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal. “The largest previous pertussis outbreak in recent years was in 2012, when cases were at their highest level in two decades. At this stage, it is difficult to tell how the current rise in pertussis activity will play out over the coming months.”

In China, more than 15,000 cases of the bacterial respiratory illness have been reported in January 2024, or a 15-fold increase over the same time period in 2023, say researchers.

Symptoms

Known as a highly contagious illness, whooping cough mainly impacts young children and infants. Notably, it can lead to coughing fits that end with a “whoop” sound as the child tries to inhale air.

At the start, illness has some similarities to the common cold with a runny nose or congestion, sneezing, cough, and fever. But after one or two weeks, severe coughing fits start, and they can last for several weeks or months, according to health officials.

“Thick mucus accumulates inside your airways, causing uncontrollable coughing. Severe and prolonged coughing attacks may: provoke vomiting, result in a red or blue face, cause extreme fatigue, [and] end with a high-pitched ‘whoop’ sound during the next breath of air,” says the Mayo Clinic’s website.

“However, many people don’t develop the characteristic whoop. Sometimes, a persistent hacking cough is the only sign that an adolescent or adult has whooping cough. Infants may not cough at all. Instead, they may struggle to breathe, or they may even temporarily stop breathing.”