Whooping Cough Surge Linked to Pandemic Vaccination Gaps

The number of whooping cough cases has more than quadrupled in the U.S. since last year, according to data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. This surge in cases, also known as pertussis, is attributed to a dip in vaccination rates that began during the pandemic.

Infectious diseases experts say children didn't stay up to date on their whooping cough vaccinations due to decreased in-person care during the pandemic. “Children during COVID did not see their health care providers and they may have done some telemedicine, but we can't vaccinate through the computer,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “And we haven't gotten everyone caught up yet back to their routine vaccination levels.”

Whooping cough vaccines, called DTap and TDap, also protect against diphtheria and tetanus and provide the most effective protection from the disease and its complications. Previous research has fueled concerns about the short-lived effectiveness of whooping cough vaccines, with some experts voicing the need for new vaccines. Reported cases of people with whooping cough are returning to pre-pandemic levels, when the U.S. typically saw more than 10,000 cases each year, the CDC said in July.

The agency recorded 14,569 cases this year so far, an increase from the 3,475 total cases recorded last year. Pennsylvania, New York and California lead all states in the number of cases, in that order. In Pennsylvania, 2,008 infections were recorded this year, almost double that of California.

Early symptoms of whooping cough can be mistaken for the common cold and other respiratory illnesses, which is why the disease often is not caught until it becomes severe. That diagnostic challenge makes it easier to inadvertently spread, said Dawn Nolt, a professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Ore. “The first week or so of illness looks like any other respiratory disease,” she said, “when, in fact, it could be pertussis and you're just infecting people around you.”