Whooping cough cases on the rise: CDC

Cases through Sept. 14 are four times that of 2023
Over 14,000 cases have been reported in 2024
The CDC recommends vaccines against it

Updated: Sep 21, 2024 / 09:43 AM CDT

A medical staff member (L) administers a test for whooping cough, as hundred of people queue in front of the national public health institute in Zagreb on November 29, 2023, to be tested for whooping cough. Croatia has been hit by a whooping cough epidemic, with a sharp increase in the number of recorded cases compared with the average for recent years, a situation explained by the influence of the anti-vaccination movement and a general weakening of immunity among the population during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Denis LOVROVIC / AFP)

(NewsNation) — According to the CDC, the number of whooping cough cases has climbed in the United States.

In a report published Thursday, whooping cough cases were more than four times the amount at this time last year.

The CDC said there have been 14,569 cases thus far in 2024, compared to the 3,745 through the 37th week of the year in 2023.

Whooping cough is also known as pertussis and is considered to be highly contagious. It is a respiratory infection caused by bacteria.

Symptoms of the illness may include runny nose, mild cough, vomiting, and fatigue, among others.

“With the increase in vaccine hesitancy that has been going on since the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re seeing outbreaks occurring in kids who are not vaccinated,” Dr. Tina Tan, president-elect of the Infectious Diseases Society of America told NBC News of the latest stats.

The CDC recommends all people should receive a vaccine for whooping cough, regardless of age.