A new year has brought a concerning trend in US healthcare – whooping cough cases are rising, with 8,485 reported cases in 2025, twice as many as last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes the surge to a decline in vaccination rates, particularly among kindergarteners.
Experts warn that low vaccination rates could be indicative of changing attitudes towards vaccines. Dr. Ericka Hayes of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia notes that the US is not on track to reach 95% vaccination rates for kindergarten students, which would compromise herd immunity protection.
Whooping cough is typically spread through respiratory droplets and can have severe symptoms in infants, especially before they receive their first vaccinations. The vaccine is also recommended for expecting mothers to protect newborns.
According to the CDC, the pertussis vaccine is usually administered at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, with adults needing follow-up doses every 10 years. Pennsylvania has recorded 207 cases in 2025, with increases seen in populated areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as among children aged 5-17.
Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, warns that vaccination rates vary across the state, creating pockets of vulnerable communities to vaccine-preventable diseases. With a total of 516 cases reported so far, Michigan is on track for a similar pertussis season to last year’s.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/whooping-cough-pertussis-tdap-vaccination-outbreak-eb8f4776fdd0796ad789aac1ccdc9b67