Allegheny County whooping cough cases rose to high levels in 2024
Cases of Pertussis, or whooping cough, spiked on the state and national level last year, and Allegheny County's newly released data shows the county was hit hard.
According to preliminary data posted on the health department's updated infectious disease dashboard, Allegheny County saw 338 whooping cough cases in 2024, a more than 47,000% spike from 2023, which only had 7 cases.
"With whooping cough, we tend to see cyclical increases. And so, we're seeing a bit of a return to pre-pandemic rates," said Dr. Barbara Nightingale, Deputy Director for Clinical Services at the Allegheny County Health Department.
Dr. Nightingale said they're seeing good rates of vaccinations overall, but protection from the pertussis vaccine does dwindle over time.
"There do tend to be years where you see higher rates of it related to immunity that decreases over time," she said.
Whooping cough is characterized by violent or prolonged coughing, and it's really contagious.
"It's definitely something we should take seriously. It can cause very severe complications if you do get infected with it. We see particularly in young babies, it can be very dangerous, causing hospitalizations and even causing babies to get complications that they can die from," Nightingale said.
She said the challenge with this bacterial infection is that it looks the same as many common viruses at first.
"In the first few weeks of having it, you may not recognize that your child has it or that you as an adult have it. Really one of the distinguishing features is that it lasts a lot longer. So if you have a cough that's lasting for more than two weeks, that would be a sign that you need to see a healthcare provider," Nightingale said.
Allegheny County is still seeing whooping cough cases, but they are dropping.
Eighteen cases have been reported in the county so far in 2025.
"The most important thing you can do is get vaccinated to help prevent getting whooping cough to begin with. So, children should be following their healthcare provider's recommendation for getting them. There are multiple series that you need to get. As well as pregnant people can get the vaccine and I highly encourage it to help prevent whooping cough in their baby because they won't have immunity to it yet," said Dr. Nightingale.
The Pennsylvania Health Department said 2,735 pertussis cases were reported in the state last year, while there were 402 cases in 2023. And so far, this year, 153 cases have been reported in Pennsylvania. The number of cases is provisional, meaning they can still be updated.
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New York Times
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Whooping Cough Is Surging. Do You Need Another Shot?
After a brief lull during the pandemic, whooping cough has bounced back, raising alarm among public health officials. There have been more than 10,000 whooping cough cases in the United States so far this year, an unusually high number even by prepandemic standards, said Dr. Kathryn Edwards, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University who has studied whooping cough, also called pertussis, for decades. A branch of the World Health Organization recently called on countries with high levels of spread, including the U.S., to bolster surveillance of the illness and increase vaccination efforts. Dr. Edwards said the surge was most likely a combination of falling childhood vaccination rates and a lack of exposure to the disease during the pandemic. That exposure 'reminds' the immune system how to recognize and defend against the bacteria. While less deadly than other vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles and polio, whooping cough — sometimes called the 100-day cough — is not a mild illness. The respiratory illness is known for causing bouts of coughing so intense that they can lead to vomiting or even broken ribs. About a third of babies who get whooping cough need treatment at a hospital. Last year, 10 people died from the infection, and most of them were younger than a year old. 'These cough seizures can be so profound that you can lose consciousness and fall,' said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Medscape
29-05-2025
- Medscape
Recommendation May Increase Prenatal Partners' Vaccinations
MINNEAPOLIS — The partners of pregnant patients may be more likely to get vaccinated against pertussis, COVID-19, and influenza if prenatal providers recommend it to them, according to a study presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2025 Annual Meeting. 'Many prenatal care providers are not routinely talking about vaccinations for the support people of their pregnant patients,' presenter Laurie Griffin, MD, PhD, fellow at Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, told attendees. It's really simple to talk to partners when they are sitting in your office, Griffin said. Otherwise, it's a missed opportunity. Meshell Stokes, MD, Ob/Gyn at Fond du Lac Regional Clinic in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, who attended the presentation, agreed, finding the results unsurprising but important. 'This study just augmented the practice that I do of really emphasizing partner immunizations,' Stokes told Medscape Medical News . 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The first survey was sent to 200 obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, prenatal family medicine providers, prenatal nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives in Rhode Island, and it had a 52% response rate. 'What we found is that people are really good at talking about vaccination for pregnant patients,' Griffin said. 'They are really bad at doing it for non-birthing partners.' Among the respondents, 90% said they always recommend these vaccinations to their pregnant patients, while only a little over 30% said they always recommend them to the patients' partners. Instead, 44% of respondents reported that they 'never,' 'sometimes,' or only 'about half of the time' recommend vaccinations to the partners. The number-one reason that providers did not counsel non-birthing partners to get the vaccines 'was they never thought about doing it,' Griffin said. The second survey, in English or Spanish, queried 525 non-birthing partners during their partners' postpartum hospitalization and had a 63% response rate (n = 380). The respondents were an average age of 33 years, and 95.8% were men. They were racially diverse: 13% Black, 10.9% Asian, 13% multiracial, and 77% White, and nearly a quarter (23.9%) were Hispanic/Latino. Nearly half (47.9%) had a college education, and most (84.8%) were employed. Most (77.6%) also had their own primary care provider, and 88.2% attended at least one prenatal visit with their partner. Among these non-birthing partners, 69.4% had gotten the Tdap vaccine, 80.6% received at least one complete series of COVID-19 vaccination, and 43.9% had gotten the flu vaccine. These numbers were generally higher than the approximately 35%-40% of Americans who get these vaccines. However, the survey results suggested they could be even higher. 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Fox News
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While cases of measles continue to spread throughout the U.S., Hawaii is reporting a new type of infectious spread. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is on the rise at a "worrying rate" in the Aloha State, the State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) confirmed last week in a news release. As of May 15, there have been 108 cases of pertussis reported, already exceeding the 84 total cases in 2024. The DOH labeled pertussis a "highly contagious respiratory disease" that spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. Symptoms often resemble a cold but can progress to "intense coughing fits." For children, these coughing fits can be followed by a "deep breath" that makes a "whooping" sound. "Health complications can be serious and even life-threatening, especially for infants and young children who are not fully vaccinated," the DOH warned. Complications can include pneumonia, seizures, apnea, encephalopathy (a disease of the brain) and death. The most effective way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination, according to the DOH. The DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine is administered to children under 7 years old and the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine is for older children and adults. Multiple doses are generally recommended for infants, children and adults. "High vaccination rates protect individuals and communities and prevent cases from becoming outbreaks," the agency noted. "However, vaccination rates for all routinely recommended vaccinations for school entry – including those for measles, pertussis, polio and varicella (chickenpox) – have declined nationally and in Hawaii since 2019." Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel confirmed that Hawaii is below the national average in terms of childhood vaccines, noting that the DTaP vaccine is "highly effective" in children, with close to 100% protection with appropriate dosages. "Pertussis is insidious, and can be easily mistaken for other respiratory diseases, including viruses," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "Pertussis, which is a bacteria, can be treated with antibiotics like doxycycline but is easily missed. The best protection is vaccination, including repeated boosters in teens and adults." Siegel explained that the "characteristic whoop" sound among children is caused by clogged airways that are not yet well-developed. About one-third of babies under 1 year who contract whooping cough are at risk of hospitalization, according to the doctor. "The best protection is for everyone around them to be vaccinated," he said. "Pertussis outbreaks are now connected to a drop-off in early childhood vaccination." "Pertussis outbreaks are now connected to a drop-off in early childhood vaccination." Neha Pathak, MD, WebMD chief physician editor, echoed that pertussis is "still a significant public health threat," especially for infants and people with weakened immune systems. "The DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine offers strong protection to children — about 98 out of 100 children are protected for at least a year after the fifth dose, and about 70% are still protected for up to five years," she said in an interview with Fox News Digital. While vaccines like measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) can provide lifelong protection, pertussis immunity decreases over time, which means boosters are necessary for adolescents and adults, Pathak noted. "The uptick in pertussis cases is concerning, but not surprising given what we are seeing with vaccine hesitancy," she commented. "Pregnant women should also get the Tdap vaccine during their third trimester to pass antibodies to their newborns, protecting them before they can be vaccinated," the doctor suggested. Hawaii confirmed two cases of measles in early April and concluded there was no further community spread. Despite the current situation being under control, the health department warned that measles exposure is still a threat among travelers. For more Health articles, visit "Measles cases in the United States continue to rise, with more than 1,000 cases already reported across 30 states this year," the department noted. "The risk remains high for future travel-related measles cases reaching Hawaii, and DOH recommends continued vigilance and efforts to increase the MMR vaccination rate." The DOH stressed its "strong" recommendation for children and adults to stay up to date with recommended vaccinations for disease prevention.
