U.S. records most whooping cough deaths since 2017

The U.S. confirmed at least a dozen deaths from whooping cough last year, according to preliminary figures released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marks the most fatalities from the bacterial infection since a 2017 surge of the illness, which is also known as pertussis.

Over the last month, pertussis infections have been rising again. While cases reported to the CDC by health departments dipped over the winter holidays, weekly infections have accelerated for a month straight since then.

At least 360 pertussis cases were reported nationwide in last week’s update to the CDC’s tally of infections. Cases are up 27% from the week before. 

Weekly cases peaked at 577 late last year, before plummeting to less than 200 over the New Year’s holiday.

Florida reported 44 cases last week, the most of any state. That displaces Ohio, which had been the state with the most pertussis infections for many recent weeks. 

Cases have been reported in counties throughout Florida, according to data from the state’s health department, with the largest tallies around Miami and Tampa. 

Similar to other states, most cases reported in Florida have been in children under 5 years old. More than a third of whooping cough cases have been in older kids.

“People of all ages are at risk for getting pertussis (whooping cough). Everyone who is not up to date with whooping cough vaccination should get vaccinated,” CDC spokesperson Paul Prince said in a statement.

Whooping cough can initially be difficult to separate from other cold-causing germs that surge over the colder months. Pertussis infections are called whooping cough because of the sound of severe coughing attacks, which can linger for weeks.

Some people are at higher risk of life-threatening complications from whooping cough infections, including babies and people who are not up to date on their vaccines.

Prince, the CDC spokesperson, said data on pertussis deaths for January 2025 was not available. Whooping cough deaths can take several weeks to be confirmed. 

A local health department earlier this month in Washington announced the first whooping cough death in the state since 2011. A 5-year-old had died in November 2024, but was only confirmed as a pertussis death by the CDC in recent weeks.

The child had not completed the pertussis vaccine series, the Spokane Regional Health District said in a release, and also had “other health factors that contributed” to their death.

“This death serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vaccination, especially for those who are most vulnerable, including infants and young children,” Dr. Francisco Velazquez, the county’s health officer, said in a statement.

Officials have warned for months that the U.S. was likely on track to see a major wave in whooping cough cases. While infections usually climb every three to five years, pertussis was among many germs that were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other changes have also driven up pertussis cases in recent years, including a change in 2020 intended to cut down on missed cases by epidemiologists and waning immunity from pertussis vaccines.

“We have been seeing some increase in pertussis cases that are coming through our emergency departments. Not necessarily requiring admission, but coming in for evaluation and treatment,” said Dr. Marcos Mestre, chief clinical operations officer at Nicklaus Children’s Health System in Miami. 

He said it had been many years since they had seen a major outbreak of pertussis infections, as opposed to “little pockets of increases” around their system. 

Mestre said older pertussis patients often come into the emergency room after facing a persistent cough that does not go away after a week or so. Younger babies come in to get evaluated sooner and are at higher risk.

“They’re coughing to the point that they can’t catch their breath. And those are the children we really worry about, when infants are getting infected and that could cause more severe illness,” said Mestre.

Caregivers are urged to get up to date on their vaccines because that can reduce the risk of passing on an infection to young children, Mestre said. Pregnant moms who get vaccinated also pass on immunity to their children, protecting them as soon as they are born.

“It’s important that people understand that immunity wanes, even if you are vaccinated as a child. And if you are going to be around infants, we recommend vaccination every 10 years,” he said.