whooping cough

11 Stories

'We're Going Backward' With Whooping Cough

Just like with measles, anti-vaccine sentiment is helping to spur outbreak that's double last year's

(Newser) - Whooping cough is making a strong comeback in the US, with cases already doubling numbers at the same time last year amid rising concerns over falling childhood vaccination rates. So far in 2025, more than 8,000 cases have been logged, according to preliminary data from the CDC. That...

'It's Not Just Measles.' Whooping Cough Cases Spike

ProPublica looks at the increase, which it ties to declining vaccine rates

(Newser) - A measles outbreak centered in Texas is drawing a lot of attention, but ProPublica reports that another disease is seeing a potentially worrisome spike in cases: whooping cough, aka pertussis. Among the stats:
  • The CDC reported 2,116 cases in 2021, amid the pandemic, when schools were shut down; last
...

Whooping Cough in US Hits a 10-Year High

Waning vaccination protection is one reason, experts say

(Newser) - The number of whooping cough cases in the US so far in 2024 is more than 32,000, the highest in a decade, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show. As many cases of pertussis, as it's also known, were reported in the 12 weeks before Dec. 14...

Whooping Cough Is Back With a Vengeance

This year's numbers for pertussis—at least 17,500 US cases so far—dwarf last year's, at just under 4K

(Newser) - Last year, there were just under 4,000 cases of whooping cough in the US. So far in 2024, there are upward of 17,500—a spike of more than 340%, per Fortune . That's according to the latest CDC stats , released for the week ending Oct. 5, in what...

Whooping Cough Cases Surge
Whooping Cough
Is on the Rise
Sep 26, 2024 12:30 AM CDT

Whooping Cough Is on the Rise

Experts say teens and tweens are driving the spike in cases of bacterial ailment

(Newser) - US whooping cough cases are at their highest level since 2014, and experts say unvaccinated or under-vaccinated teens and tweens—plus "post-pandemic vaccine fatigue"—are driving the surge. Pertussis, called whooping cough because of the distinctive noise sufferers make while trying to get enough air amid violent coughing...

Refusal to Vaccinate Tied to Resurgence of Measles, Pertussis

More than half of recent measles cases appeared in unvaccinated people: study

(Newser) - Wondering what's behind recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in the US? Perhaps not surprisingly, a new study published in JAMA finds that people who don't vaccinate—for non-medical reasons—contribute to the problem, Reuters reports. Since measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, there...

Ex Anti-Vaxxer: All 7 of My Kids Got Whooping Cough

Tara Hills tells her story in attempt to reach others like her

(Newser) - Tara Hills used to be anti-vaccination, but a nearby measles outbreak changed her mind and convinced her to get her seven kids, all of whom were under-vaccinated or completely unvaccinated, up to date. The Canadian mom set up a schedule with their family doctor ... but just days before they went...

California Facing Whooping Cough Epidemic

More than 3K cases reported this year

(Newser) - At least 3,458 cases of whooping cough have been reported in California this year—more than the number reported through all of last year. Facing 800 cases in the past two weeks, the state has now declared an epidemic, the San Jose Mercury News reports. "We urge all...

Anti-Vaccine Believers Give Diseases New Life

Officials in US, Canada emphasize need for vaccines

(Newser) - If only Kathryn Riffenburg had gotten a booster shot during pregnancy, her son might have lived. But the baby got whooping cough, and was so badly swollen that his burial at nine weeks of age—in a white baptismal suit and hat—was in a closed casket. "It just...

Vermont Declares Whooping Cough Epidemic

Urges adults to get vaccinated

(Newser) - Vermont is officially in the midst of a whooping cough epidemic, the state's department of health has declared, urging everyone age 19 and older to get vaccinated. As of the end of last week there had been 522 reported cases of the disease, formally known as pertussis, the Burlington ...

Whooping Cough Outbreak Worst in 50 Years

Adults should get booster shots, CDC says

(Newser) - The US is facing its worst epidemic of whooping cough since the 1950s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that adults—especially pregnant women and those who spend time around children—get booster shots. Some 18,000 cases of the highly infectious disease have been...

11 Stories
Most Read on Newser