According to the most recent data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, whooping cough has been on the rise in the US for months and shows no signs of abating.

Preliminary data from mid-December reveals that over 32,000 cases have been reported this year, marking the highest count since 2014 and nearly six times the number reported by this time last year.

Pertussis, another name for whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. A violent, full-body cough may appear after a week or two, but for many, the bacterial infection begins with symptoms like the typical cold: a runny nose, sneezing, a low-grade fever, and a tickly cough. These coughing episodes, which frequently include a whooping sound as the individual struggles to regain their breath, can be so bad that they force patients to throw up or break their ribs.

People can spread the harmful bacteria for weeks after they begin coughing, and the coughing itself can persist for weeks or even months. Some people, however, may have illnesses that are so little that they spread the disease without even realising it.

As people reduced social interactions and took other measures to protect themselves from Covid-19, whooping cough cases decreased to low levels throughout the pandemic, similar to many other respiratory infections. The CDC reports that whooping cough cases peak every few years, and recent patterns indicate that the United States is reverting to pre-pandemic levels.

However, CDC data shows that reported cases have more than doubled since mid-September and have been increasing rapidly over the past few months.The Midwest, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, has reported almost 25% of all instances. More cases have been reported in Pennsylvania than in any other state.

Children under the age of one are especially vulnerable because their immune systems are still developing, even though whooping cough can be dangerous for people of all ages. This is particularly true for young children and newborns who have not received all of the necessary vaccinations.

According to the CDC, vaccination is the best defence against whooping cough; children should receive the DTaP vaccine, while adults and adolescents should receive the TDaP vaccine.

However, childhood vaccination rates have decreased; for the 2023–2024 school year, only roughly 92% of kindergarteners had received their DTaP vaccine, falling short of the 95% federal target and putting thousands of students at risk. Over time, vaccination-induced protection may also wane.

Only if the infection is discovered in the first few weeks, before the painful, exhausting cough appears, may antibiotics be used to cure it. Then, while the infection clears up, the only therapy is comfort care, which includes lots of rest and drinks.

Broader respiratory ailment activity is comparatively moderate as the United States enters the winter season. According to surveillance data, flu and COVID-19 levels are both continuing to grow after initially declining.