The US confirmed at least 12 deaths from cooping cough last year, according to preliminary figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. This has been the most fatal from bacterial infections since the surge in disease in 2017, and is also known as pertussis.
Last month, pertussis infections have risen again. Cases reported to the CDC by the health department soaked during winter break have been accelerating weekly infections for a month in a row since then.
Last week’s update to CDC infection counts reported at least 360 pertussis cases nationwide. Cases have increased by 27% from the previous week.
The weekly case peaked at 577 at the end of last year, then plummeted to under 200 during the New Year holidays.
Florida reported 44 cases last week. It replaces Ohio. Ohio was the most pertussis infection for many people Last few weeks.
According to the largest tally in the Miami and Tampa area, cases have been reported in Florida counties, according to state health department data.
Like other states, most cases reported in Florida are in children under the age of five. More than a third of whooping cough occurred in older children.
“People of all ages are at risk of getting pertussis (coughing cough). Anyone who is not up to date with cough vaccinations should get vaccinated,” said Paul Prince, a spokesman for the CDC. He said in a statement.
Whooping cough is difficult to isolate from other cold concentrated bacteria that spike in the cold season at first. Whooping cough infections are called pertussis cough due to the sound of a severe cough attack and can remain for several weeks.
Some people are at higher risk of life-threatening complications from cough infections, including babies and those who are not up to date with the vaccine.
CDC spokesman Prince said data on pertussis deaths in January 2025 were not available. Whooping cough death can take weeks to confirm.
Earlier this month in Washington, the local health department announced the state’s first pertussis cough death since 2011. The 5-year-old passed away in November 2024, but has been confirmed in recent weeks as a death from pertussis by the CDC.
The children had not completed their pertussis vaccine series, the Spokane Regional Health District said in the release, and also had “other health factors that contributed to their deaths.”
“This death serves as a rigorous reminder of the importance of vaccination, especially for the most vulnerable people, including young children,” county health officer Dr. Francisco Belazuquez said in a statement.
Officials have warned for months that the US is likely to be on track to see a big wave of cough cases. Infection usually rises every 3-5 years, but pertussis was among many bacteria that were destroyed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Other changes include changes in 2020 aimed at reducing cases missed by epidemiologists; Whooping cough vaccine.
“We’re seeing an increase in pertussis cases coming through the emergency department. It doesn’t necessarily require hospitalization, but it’s coming for evaluation and treatment,” said Chief of Nicklaus Children’s Health System in Miami. said Dr. Marcos Mestre, head of clinical business.
He said it had been years since they saw a major outbreak of pertussis infections, as opposed to the “small increase pockets” around their system.
Mestre said that older pertussis patients often come to the emergency room after facing a persistent cough that does not go away after a week or so. Young babies come in to be evaluated faster and there is a higher risk.
“They cough to the point that they can’t breathe. And they are the kids we really worry about when our babies are infected, and that makes them more serious illnesses. It could cause it,” Mestre said.
Caregivers are being urged to stay up to date with vaccines as they may reduce the risk of passing the infection to young children, Mestre said. Pregnant mothers who have been vaccinated will also give their children immunity and protect them as soon as they are born.
“It’s important for people to understand that even if you get vaccinated as a child, your immunity will decline. And if you’re around your infant, we’ll be vaccinated every 10 years. I recommend it,” he said.
