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The Hill
06-05-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Deadly illness spreading twice as fast in 2025, surpasses 9,000 cases
(NEXSTAR) – It's not just measles making a fierce comeback in 2025. Another disease that's especially dangerous to young children, known as pertussis or whooping cough, is spreading nearly twice as fast as it was last year. As of April 26, the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9,047 cases have been identified in U.S. residents in 2025. That's nearly twice as many as there were at this time last year, when about 4,700 cases had been identified. Whooping cough tends to peak in the spring and fall. It's usually spread through respiratory droplets in the air when people with pertussis cough, sneeze or breathe close to others. The symptoms are similar to a cold, but the cough becomes increasingly severe with a distinctive sound — a 'whoop' as the person tries to take in air. The illness is most dangerous for infants too young to get the vaccine. Experts say the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, like measles and whooping cough, could be indicative of changing attitudes toward vaccines. U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell last year, and the number of children with vaccine exemptions hit an all-time high. Where is whooping cough spreading fastest? West Coast states represent the greatest share of cases thus far in 2025. Washington has reported more than 1,000 cases alone. Oregon has had 663 cases and California has had 590 cases of whooping cough, according to the CDC. Another cluster of states reporting high numbers is Michigan (537), Ohio (494), Wisconsin (346) and Illinois (319). Florida also has at least 468 cases of whooping cough in 2025. Why is whooping cough spreading again? One leading theory for the recent increase in pertussis cases is the recent decrease in vaccine uptake. 'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' said Dr. Ericka Hayes at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95% for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.' The pertussis vaccine, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus, is given at two months, four months and six months. Pregnant women can get the vaccine to help protect their newborns, but Hayes said not enough women locally are opting in. The CDC also recommends adults get follow-up doses every 10 years. The uptick could also have to do with the type of vaccine being used, writes UCLA epidemiology professor Annette Regan in The Conversation. The old pertussis vaccine, used until the 1990s, used to contain whole, killed B. pertussis bacteria cells. However, Regan explains, those vaccines are more likely to cause a fever or other side effects when babies got a dose. As a result, we switched to a vaccine that contains parts of the bacteria but not the whole bacteria. These vaccine formulations are believed to cause fewer side effects, Regan writes, but their protection may not last as long.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pasadena resident tests positive for whooping cough after visiting children's museum
A Pasadena resident has tested positive for whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be lethal in infants, after visiting the Kidspace Children's Museum last week, authorities said. The Pasadena Public Health Department announced the infection on Thursday as whooping cough cases continue to rise across the United States. There have been more than 8,470 cases reported nationally in 2025, which is about double the cases reported in the same time period last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more: Highly contagious whooping cough rises in California to highest level in years Health officials warned anyone who visited Kidspace from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 25 to monitor their household, and especially children, for symptoms such as a runny nose, a low-grade fever and difficulty breathing. Anyone feeling ill after visiting the museum during this window is urged to visit their healthcare provider and avoid contact with babies and pregnant women. Infections can be confirmed with a nasal swab. High-risk individuals, such as infants younger than 1 and pregnant women, may need preventive antibiotics even if they are not showing symptoms, health officials said. Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attack the upper respiratory system and can cause airways to swell, according to the CDC. Symptoms typically begin five days to three weeks after exposure with a mild cold and a fever of less than 100.4 degrees. In severe cases, symptoms will progress to coughing fits that cause gasping or whooping sounds and vomiting. Infants may not display the telltale whooping cough, but turn blue, red or gag due to difficulty breathing. California whooping cough cases more than quadrupled last year — from 644 in 2023 to 2,753 in 2024, according to the state health department. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington have died from the illness. Read more: Measles exposure at LAX amid growing cases across U.S. How to protect yourself There are vaccines for whooping cough. As early as 2 months old, babies get the first in a series of DTaP shots, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus. The vaccine is administered again at 4 months, 6 months and then again at 15 to 18 months and when the child is between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is part of school-entry immunization requirements in all 50 states, and a booster shot is recommended for pregnant women. Experts attribute the uptick in infections to decreasing vaccination rates. Last year, the share of children with exemptions to school-entry vaccinations across the country hit an all-time high of 3.3%, according to the CDC. 'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' Dr. Ericka Hayes, who works at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95% for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
02-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Pasadena resident tests positive for whooping cough after visiting children's museum
A Pasadena resident has tested positive for whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be lethal in infants, after visiting the Kidspace Children's Museum last week, authorities said. The Pasadena Public Health Department announced the infection on Thursday as whooping cough cases continue to rise across the United States. There have been more than 8,470 cases reported nationally in 2025, which is about double the cases reported in the same time period last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials warned anyone who visited Kidspace from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 25 to monitor their household, and especially children, for symptoms such as a runny nose, a low-grade fever and difficulty breathing. Anyone feeling ill after visiting the museum during this window is urged to visit their healthcare provider and avoid contact with babies and pregnant women. Infections can be confirmed with a nasal swab. High-risk individuals, such as infants younger than 1 and pregnant women, may need preventive antibiotics even if they are not showing symptoms, health officials said. Whooping cough is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, which attack the upper respiratory system and can cause airways to swell, according to the CDC. Symptoms typically begin five days to three weeks after exposure with a mild cold and a fever of less than 100.4 degrees. In severe cases, symptoms will progress to coughing fits that cause gasping or whooping sounds and vomiting. Infants may not display the telltale whooping cough, but turn blue, red or gag due to difficulty breathing. California whooping cough cases more than quadrupled last year — from 644 in 2023 to 2,753 in 2024, according to the state health department. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington have died from the illness. There are vaccines for whooping cough. As early as 2 months old, babies get the first in a series of DTaP shots, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus. The vaccine is administered again at 4 months, 6 months and then again at 15 to 18 months and when the child is between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is part of school-entry immunization requirements in all 50 states, and a booster shot is recommended for pregnant women. Experts attribute the uptick in infections to decreasing vaccination rates. Last year, the share of children with exemptions to school-entry vaccinations across the country hit an all-time high of 3.3%, according to the CDC. 'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' Dr. Ericka Hayes, who works at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95% for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.' The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Japan Today
27-04-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
Whooping cough cases rising again in U.S., challenging public health departments
This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on electron microscope imagery, depicts Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough. By DEVNA BOSE Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in 2025, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the CDC's final tally. Rates of whooping cough, or pertussis, soared last year, which experts said wasn't unexpected. The number of cases fell during COVID-19 because of masking and social distancing. Plus, experts said, the illness peaks every two to five years. But experts say the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, like measles and whooping cough, could be indicative of changing attitudes toward vaccines. U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell last year, and the number of children with vaccine exemptions hit an all-time high. 'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' said Dr. Ericka Hayes at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95% for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.' Whooping cough tends to peak around this time of year and in the fall. It's usually spread through respiratory droplets in the air, when people with pertussis cough, sneeze or breathe close to others. The symptoms are similar to a cold but the cough becomes increasingly severe with a distinctive sound — a 'whoop' as the person tries to take in air. It is treated with antibiotics. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington state have died from whooping cough. The pertussis vaccine, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus, is given at two months, four months and six months. The CDC recommends adults get follow-up doses every 10 years. The illness is most dangerous for infants, especially before they receive their first round of vaccinations. That's why the vaccine is also recommended for expecting mothers — it can protect newborns. But not enough people are getting the vaccine during pregnancy, said Hayes, who is the hospital's senior medical director of infection prevention and control. 'The uptake of the vaccine for pregnant mothers is not where we need to be at all," she said. Pennsylvania, one of the states hit hardest by the illness last year, has recorded 207 whooping cough cases in 2025. Neil Ruhland, a state health department spokesman, said the biggest increases are in populated areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and in middle and high schools and colleges. He said 94.6% of the state's kindergarteners are vaccinated. Michigan is on track for a similar pertussis season to last year's, said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive. The state has recorded 516 cases thus far, mostly among children aged 5 to 17, and saw a total of 2,081 cases in 2024. Bagdasarian said vaccination rates vary from county to county. Some schools have rates as low as 30%, creating pockets of vulnerable communities to vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis and measles, she said. 'We're watching pertussis numbers very carefully, but a lot of our resources are going into contact tracing our measles cases right now,' she said. 'And public health is doing much more with fewer resources in 2025 than we've had to do before." AP data journalist Kasturi Pananjady contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The symptoms to look for as whooping cough cases soar in the US
Whooping cough cases are surging in the United States, prompting concerns among health officials about another challenging year combatting the disease. Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 8,485 whooping cough cases in 2025, twice as many as the same period last year. Rates of whooping cough, or pertussis, soared last year, a trend experts anticipated due to relaxed COVID-19 measures like masking and social distancing, coupled with the cyclical nature of the illness, which typically peaks every two to five years. But experts say the outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, like measles and whooping cough, could be indicative of changing attitudes toward vaccines. U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell last year, and the number of children with vaccine exemptions hit an all-time high. 'There's unfortunately been increasing anti-vaccine sentiment in the United States,' said Dr. Ericka Hayes at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Our recovery is not nearly as quick as we expected it to be and we needed it to be. And again, when you fall below 95 percent for vaccinations, you lose that herd immunity protection.' Whooping cough tends to peak around this time of year and in the fall. It's usually spread through respiratory droplets in the air, when people with pertussis cough, sneeze or breathe close to others. The symptoms are similar to a cold but the cough becomes increasingly severe with a distinctive sound — a 'whoop' as the person tries to take in air. It is treated with antibiotics. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana and a five-year-old in Washington state have died from whooping cough. The pertussis vaccine, which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus, is given at two months, four months and six months. The CDC recommends adults get follow-up doses every 10 years. The illness is most dangerous for infants, especially before they receive their first round of vaccinations. That's why the vaccine is also recommended for expecting mothers — it can protect newborns. But not enough people are getting the vaccine during pregnancy, said Hayes, who is the hospital's senior medical director of infection prevention and control. 'The uptake of the vaccine for pregnant mothers is not where we need to be at all," she said. Symptoms of whooping cough CDC Pennsylvania, one of the states hit hardest by the illness last year, has recorded 207 whooping cough cases in 2025. Neil Ruhland, a state health department spokesman, said the biggest increases are in populated areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and in middle and high schools and colleges. He said 94.6 percent of the state's kindergarteners are vaccinated. Michigan is on track for a similar pertussis season to last year's, said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive. The state has recorded 516 cases thus far, mostly among children aged 5 to 17, and saw a total of 2,081 cases in 2024. Bagdasarian said vaccination rates vary from county to county. Some schools have rates as low as 30 percent, creating pockets of vulnerable communities to vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis and measles, she said. 'We're watching pertussis numbers very carefully, but a lot of our resources are going into contact tracing our measles cases right now,' she said. 'And public health is doing much more with fewer resources in 2025 than we've had to do before."
