Whooping cough outbreaks increase due to waning immunity, lower vaccination

Whooping cough rates are skyrocketing in Texas, Florida, California, Oregon and other states and regions, with the U.S. recording 6,600 cases in the first three months of 2025, four times the number of cases recorded for the same period in 2024. The number is 25 times the rate recorded for the same three months in 2023. Declining vaccination rates, fading immunity and delays in public health tracking systems are exacerbating the outbreaks. State nonmedical exemptions also are playing a role. Texas lawmakers passed a recent law allowing parents to download exemption forms online and send them directly to schools instead of health departments, making exemptions more difficult to track. Most at risk are babies under age one who are too young to receive full vaccination. (KFF News article, 11/23/25)