Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
52m ago

Texas Whooping Cough Cases Reach Highest Level in More Than a Decade

State health officials attribute the rise to declining childhood vaccination rates.

Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services indicates that "approximately 85 percent of pertussis cases in Texas this year have occurred among children."
Vaccines during a vaccine drive at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock on Feb. 27, 2025.
Image
While cases are rising, vaccination rates among Texas children have continued to fall, state data says.

Overview

  • Provisional state data show more than 3,500 pertussis cases through October, roughly four times the same period last year.
  • About 85% of reported infections this year are in children, with infants at risk for severe complications and atypical symptoms such as gagging or apnea.
  • Texas issued a health alert on November 3 as totals approached the 2013 peak of 3,985 cases.
  • The surge coincides with lower immunization coverage in the 2024–25 school year, according to the state’s student vaccination report.
  • El Paso has recorded over 20 cases so far this year, up from three reported in September 2024, and local clinicians urge Tdap vaccination and basic precautions.