Pertussis Cases Surging in the United States

MONDAY, Jan. 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Rates of pertussis in the United States are surging, with more than 32,000 cases reported as of mid-December — about six times more than at this time last year and more than have been reported since 2014, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reported cases have been climbing for several months, CNN reports. About a quarter of all cases have been reported in Illinois, Indiana, and other states in the Midwest. Pennsylvania has more reported cases compared with other states. Some states, such as Oregon, ticked a record high number of cases recently. For 2024, Oregon recorded the highest number of pertussis cases since 1950, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

Cases dropped during the pandemic, but, according to the CDC, recent trends suggest that the United States is returning to prepandemic levels.

Prevention, in the form of vaccination, is the best way to protect against whooping cough, the CDC says; the agency recommends that children get the DTaP vaccine and adolescents and adults get the Tdap vaccine.

Among children, vaccination rates have fallen; only about 92 percent of kindergartners had gotten their DTaP vaccine for the 2023–2024 school year. This is below the 95 percent federal target.

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