Whooping cough continues to surge in the United States, with reported cases soaring to more than 32,000 this year — nearly five times the 6,500 cases recorded during the same period last year — marking the highest levels in a decade.

Holiday cheer is in the air, and so are infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whooping cough cases in the United States are beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Whooping cough cases have reached the highest annual total in a decade and are more than six times higher than at the same time last year.

Many Americans also didn’t know the symptoms of whooping cough, the center said. The majority of people, 83%, could name the distinctive “whoop” sound caused by coughing fits, but only 44% recognized fever, 33% recognized vomiting and 30% recognized runny nose as other telltale symptoms, according to the report.

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,

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.