Overview

• Pertussis cases in the U.S. have risen to 8,485 in 2025, nearly double the count from the same period in 2024, with at least four deaths since late 2024, including two infants.
• The U.K. recorded 14,894 whooping cough cases in 2024—a 17-fold increase from the previous year—resulting in 11 infant deaths, the highest toll in a decade.
• Vaccination rates have declined, with U.S. kindergartners' coverage dropping to 92% and maternal booster uptake remaining uneven, leaving infants particularly vulnerable.
• The acellular pertussis vaccine, which replaced the whole-cell vaccine in the 1990s, provides shorter immunity, contributing to the resurgence of the disease.
• Public health agencies are urging routine childhood vaccinations, maternal boosters during pregnancy, and post-exposure antibiotics to curb the spread and protect high-risk groups.