About Whooping Cough Outbreaks

Key points

  • Pertussis (whooping cough) is common in the United States, with frequent outbreaks.
  • Protecting people at highest risk of serious illness is the primary focus during outbreaks.
  • Health departments take the lead during outbreak investigations.
  • Whooping cough cases are on the rise in 2024.
A poster promoting Tdap vaccination during whooping cough outbreaks.

Settings and trends

Whooping cough is an endemic (common) disease in the United States. There are peaks in reported cases of whooping cough every few years.

Outbreaks of this contagious respiratory illness are frequent. They can occur in many different settings including:

  • Schools and childcare centers
  • Hospitals
  • Large geographic areas

2024 trends

The number of reported whooping cough cases this year is higher than what was seen at this time last year. The United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year.

Keep Reading: Surveillance and Trends

Identifying whooping cough outbreaks

Whooping cough outbreaks can be difficult to identify and manage for many reasons, including:

  • Cases of whooping cough may go unreported
  • Other respiratory bacteria and viruses often cause similar symptoms
  • Other bacteria and viruses can spread at the same time

Active screening

Public health officials may consider active screening for potential whooping cough cases in common settings during an outbreak. The main goals of active screening are to:

  • Reduce exposure to people with whooping cough
  • Encourage timely medical evaluation and treatment
  • Promote prompt use of preventive antibiotics as appropriate

Protecting those at highest risk of serious illness

During outbreaks, public health authorities focus on protecting those at highest risk of serious illness.

Key strategies focus on vaccination and preventive antibiotics for these high-risk groups and people who are around them.

A second goal is to protect all other people from getting whooping cough. CDC recommends whooping cough vaccination for people of all ages.

Keep Reading: Prevention

Resources

Posters, fact sheets, and videos

Communication and print resources about whooping cough

Preventive antibiotic use

For health professionals: Postexposure antimicrobial prophylaxis

Print
Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Division of Bacterial Diseases