Whooping Cough Cases Are 3X Higher Than Last Year. Here's What Experts Want Women To Know.
While the COVID-19 summer wave is still ongoing, there’s another respiratory illness to have on your radar: whooping cough.
Cases of the virus are currently surging in the United States, with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that cases are three times higher than they were this time last year. Specifically, there have been 10,865 recorded cases of whooping cough this year—compared with 2,918 cases recorded at the same time in 2023.
In case you’re not familiar with it, whooping cough is another term for pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes intense coughing fits, per the CDC. Whooping cough gets its name because people may make a high-pitched "whoop" sound when they inhale after a coughing fit. The coughing can be so bad that people vomit during or after the coughing fits, according to the organization.
Luckily, there is a vaccine for whooping cough. Here’s what you need to know about it, plus how to get it.
Meet the expert: Thomas Russo, MD, is a professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.
How often should I be vaccinated for whooping cough?
Whooping cough is an illness that’s targeted in routine childhood vaccines. It’s targeted by the DTap vaccine (in kids up to age six) and then the Tdap vaccine in people 11 years old and up.
The CDC recommends that you get vaccinated during these times:
2, 4, and 6 months
15 – 18 months
4 - 6 years
11- 12 years
Pregnancy, during weeks 27- 36
Adults every 10 years
Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Women's Health that the rise in cases is likely due to a “post-COVID effect.” Since people interacted with each other less for several years, cases were on the decline; now, they're back to pre-pandemic levels.
"There were fewer infections and a lesser degree of immunity out there," he says. "There has also been a little fall-off in routine vaccinations. As a result, there’s a bigger pool of individuals."
How many years does a whooping cough vaccine last?
“The general rule is 10 years,” Russo says. “However, pregnant women should get it as well, even if they’ve been vaccinated in the past decade.”
Since whooping cough can be most serious for babies, it's important for pregnant women to get the vaccine so they can pass immunity onto them, according to the U.K.'s National Health Service.
Should I get a whooping cough vaccine this fall?
It depends. If you’re pregnant and between 27 and 36 weeks, yes; but if not, Russo recommends sticking with the 10-year rule. (Your doctor can usually tell you if you’ve been vaccinated within the last 10 years.)
“Some people may have gotten lax on this vaccine and could be due for a shot,” Russo says.
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