Whooping cough cases are increasing in the United States, having hit their highest point in a decade, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Based on the data, there were around 32,000 cases of whooping cough in the U.S. by mid-December in 2024, but around 6,000 cases by mid-December in 2023. There were also more cases of whooping cough in 2024 than in any other year since 2014 (and more cases than in all of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 combined).
The increase represents a return to the typical, pre-pandemic prevalence of whooping cough, which tended to surge in cyclical patterns of over 10,000 cases a year prior to the appearance of COVID-19. According to the CDC, the return is tied to the reduction of pandemic precautions, including masking and social distancing, which fended off whooping cough as well as COVID-19.
