Whooping cough cases in the U.S. are seeing a significant rise, reaching levels not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. This surge is attributed to the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, leading to increased transmission.
Whooping cough cases in the U.S. are rising to pre-pandemic rates as pandemic restrictions are reduced, 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. Its initial symptoms are mild — similar to those of the common cold — and tend to last for one to two weeks, while its later symptoms are more severe and typically last for one to six weeks or more. In about a third of all cases, whooping cough causes coughing fits that are associated with a “whooping” sound, produced as patients inhale air after coughing. These coughing fits tend to worsen as the disease continues, increasing in intensity and frequency throughout the course of the disease. Whooping cough can also cause sneezing, stuffiness, fever, and fatigue, as well as difficulties with breathing. Whooping cough can be contagious for weeks after the start of its symptoms, and is spread when a person with the disease coughs or sneezes, sending out a spray of bacteria that others then breathe in themselves. As such, the disease is most transmissible when people spend time together, sharing space and touching the same surfaces.
WHOOPING COUGH DISEASE PANDEMIC CDC TRANSMISSION
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