20% of Pertussis Cases Adjacent to I-95

Throughout 2024, pertussis cases have increased across the United States. Preliminary data show that more than six times as many cases have been reported compared to the same time in 2023.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of pertussis cases (32,176) as of December 14, 2024. Pre-pandemic, about 10,000 cases are typically reported each year.

From a regional segmentation, about 20% (6,607) of these pertussis (whopping cough, bacterial infection) cases have been reported between Philadelphia, New Jersey (423), New York (2,340), and Boston (715).

In May 2024, the city of Philadelphia issued its initial Health Alert.

Then, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) issued a Health Alert on September 4, 2024, stating, 'This (outbreak) is likely due to a multitude of factors, including waning vaccine protection and the lack of timely recognition and testing by adult providers, leading to more severe infections, co-infections, and hospitalizations."

As of December 2024, the DOH has reported 2,808 cases and advised all healthcare providers to have an "increased suspicion of pertussis in all patients who present with symptoms."

The CDC says unvaccinated infants under one year old are at the most significant risk for severe disease because their immune systems are still developing. Furthermore, vaccination is the best way to prevent pertussis.

However, as typical infection patterns return to the United States, the CDC expects pertussis cases to increase in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations. Pertussis occurs in vaccinated people since protection from vaccination fades over time.

"Healthy older children and adults may not get very sick with whooping cough, but they're typically the ones who infect those who develop severe disease, including newborns and people with lung problems and weak immune systems," commented Ericka Hayes, MD, Senior Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in a media statement. 

The CDC recommends pertussis vaccination for everyone as it is the best way to protect against whooping cough. These vaccines work well, but protection fades over time.

Talk to a local pharmacist if you have questions about which vaccines are best for you and your family.