Whooping cough cases have surged to over 25,000 in 2025, marking a dangerous trend that coincides with declining vaccination rates among America’s children—a public health crisis that threatens our most vulnerable populations.
Story Overview
- Over 25,000 cases of whooping cough were recorded in 2025, well above pre-pandemic levels.
- Vaccination rates dropped from 95% pre-pandemic to just 92.1% in the 2024-25 school year.
- Multiple deaths have been reported this year, including children in Louisiana and Washington state.
- Cases remain elevated, despite trending down from 2024’s winter peak of 33,000.
Vaccination Rates Decline as Cases Surge
CDC data reveals a troubling correlation between declining vaccination rates and rising whooping cough cases. Only 92.1% of kindergarteners received the whooping cough vaccine during the 2024-25 school year, down from approximately 95% during the 2019-2020 school year, before the pandemic.
This drop in vaccination coverage has coincided with case numbers climbing well above pre-pandemic levels, suggesting weakened herd immunity is allowing this preventable disease to spread more freely through communities.
The current outbreak represents the second consecutive year of elevated cases, following 2024’s alarming spike to around 33,000 reported infections. While doctors’ visits for pertussis are trending down from last winter’s peak, they remain significantly higher than historical norms, indicating the disease continues to circulate at dangerous levels across American communities.
Waning immunity and falling vaccination rates fuel pertussis outbreaks
— In the first 3 months of 2025, the U.S. tallied 6,600 cases — four times last year's pace. #RSNA25 https://t.co/0LhRL999NR— Ian Weissman, DO (@DrIanWeissman) November 24, 2025
Children Face Greatest Risk from Preventable Disease
Whooping cough poses the greatest threat to babies and young children, with several deaths already recorded this year in Louisiana and Washington state.
The highly contagious respiratory illness, caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria, attacks the upper respiratory system by releasing toxins that damage cilia and cause severe airway swelling. Infected individuals can remain contagious for weeks without realizing they are infected, making early detection and prevention critical.
Early symptoms mirror those of a common cold, including a runny nose, cough, and low-grade fever, lasting 1 to 2 weeks. However, the condition can rapidly progress to violent coughing fits that may persist for up to 12 weeks. While antibiotics can treat whooping cough effectively when administered early, the disease’s ability to masquerade as a minor illness often delays proper diagnosis and treatment.
Historical Success of Vaccination Programs Under Threat
The whooping cough vaccine, introduced in the late 1940s, represents one of modern medicine’s most significant public health achievements. Before vaccination programs, an estimated 200,000 children contracted whooping cough annually, with up to 9,000 dying each year from complications.
The vaccine reduced case numbers by more than 90% compared to the pre-vaccine era, demonstrating the life-saving power of consistent immunization efforts.
Two vaccines currently protect against whooping cough: DTaP for babies and children under 7, and Tdap for older children, adults, and pregnant women.
The recent decline in vaccination rates threatens to unravel decades of progress, potentially returning vulnerable populations to risk levels not seen since the disease’s deadliest years. This trend undermines parental rights to protect their children through proven medical interventions while placing entire communities at unnecessary risk.
