Whooping Cough Case Numbers 5 Times Higher Than Last Year: CDC

Infants younger than 1 year face the ‘greatest risk’ from the illness because their immune systems are under development, the CDC said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on May 21, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Reports of pertussis (whooping cough) have dramatically risen over the past year in the United States, with case numbers exceeding those before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Reports of pertussis cases were lower than usual over the past few years, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year,” the CDC stated in an Oct. 17 report.