Pertussis Cases Increasing in US: Daily Dose

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On October 2, 2024, we reported on new data from the US CDC that showed a rise in pertussis cases.

The data

The data came from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System and showed that pertussis cases have increased by nearly 5-fold in the US since 2023. Across the US there have been 15 661 cases through the week ending September 21, compared with 3657 cases through the same reporting period last year.

The CDC attributes the surge to converging factors that include the end of pandemic infection mitigation measures, eg, masking, remote learning, which likely reduced transmission rates, and the natural waning in vaccine protection.

Authors' comment

"As typical infection patterns return to the United States, CDC expects pertussis cases to increase both in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations. Pertussis occurs in vaccinated people since protection from vaccination fades over time."

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