The United States is facing its worst whooping cough outbreak since 2014, with more than 32,000 confirmed cases reported through mid-November 2025—a staggering fivefold jump from last year and the highest tally in over a decade. Health officials from California to New York are sounding alarms as emergency rooms fill with the unmistakable “whoop” of children and adults gasping for air after violent coughing fits that can crack ribs and trigger seizures.
Pertussis, the medical name for whooping cough, was once nearly eradicated by the DTaP and Tdap vaccines. Yet the CDC now reports provisional 2025 numbers already eclipsing the entire 2024 total of 6,200 cases, with six infant deaths recorded nationwide—five of them babies too young to be fully vaccinated. Doctors describe wards echoing with the haunting cough that lasts up to ten weeks, earning the disease its grim nickname “the 100-day cough.”
The surge is exposing deep cracks in America’s immunization shield. National kindergarten vaccination coverage for DTaP has slipped to 92.3 percent—the lowest since the 2009 pandemic era—while adolescent Tdap booster rates hover at just 88 percent. In hard-hit states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, clusters are erupting in schools where exemption rates exceed 10 percent. “We’re seeing entire classrooms taken down because one unvaccinated child brought it in,” said Dr. Sarah Turner, a pediatric infectious disease specialist in Columbus, where cases have spiked 1,200 percent year-over-year.
Pregnant women and newborns remain the most vulnerable. The CDC’s latest data shows only 54 percent of expectant mothers received the recommended Tdap shot during pregnancy—the cocooning strategy that passes critical antibodies to infants before their own shots begin at two months. “Every infant death we’ve seen this year was preventable,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen in an urgent briefing Tuesday. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and literally sitting on shelves while babies fight for their lives.”
Outbreaks are no longer confined to pockets of vaccine hesitancy. Suburban districts in New Jersey and Texas with previously high coverage are reporting dozens of cases, fueled by waning immunity in adults who never received the adolescent booster. The bacteria, Bordetella pertussis, spreads through the air like the common cold, turning crowded holiday gatherings into superspreader risks.
Hospitals are adapting fast. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has reopened a dedicated pertussis ward closed since the 1990s, while Los Angeles County declared a local health emergency last week to free up testing and antibiotic supplies. Pharmacies nationwide report Tdap shortages in some regions as panicked parents rush to catch up on missed doses.
Public health leaders are pleading for immediate action. Free catch-up clinics are popping up in schools and malls, and several states have tightened exemption rules for the coming semester. “This isn’t about politics or personal choice anymore,” said Dr. José Romero, chair of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. “It’s about protecting the youngest among us who can’t speak up for themselves.”
As Thanksgiving travel ramps up and families crowd airports and dinner tables, the message is blunt: check your vaccine records, roll up your sleeve, and mask around newborns. One simple shot can stop a cough that steals breath and breaks hearts.
Whooping cough never really left—it was just waiting for immunity gaps to widen. In 2025, those gaps have become chasms, and the price is being paid in hospital beds and tiny coffins. The record-breaking outbreak is a wake-up call America can no longer ignore.