There have been over 32,000 cases of whooping cough recorded in the U.S. in 2024 so far, the highest annual total in a decade. The big picture: Experts attribute the spike in part to a return to pre-pandemic levels — but the number of cases on record this year far surpasses the total from 2019.

The U.S. has recorded over 32,000 whooping cough cases this year, compared with around 5,100 as of mid-December last year. Infants are most vulnerable to the bacterial infection.

Whooping cough cases are racing across the country. The U.S. has seen five times more cases in 2024 than we did at this time last year. That includes a resurgence in the DMV. “So whooping cough is caused by the pertussis bacteria.

The number of whooping cough cases in the US so far in 2024 is more than 32,000, the highest in a decade, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show. As many cases of pertussis, as it's also known,