Text: Amid a measles outbreak, whooping cough cases have soared as vaccine rates decline. Graph: Bar chart with year on the x-axis (2014-2024) and number of whooping cough cases on the y-axis (0 through 30,000). The chart shows that cases of pertussis were over 30,000 in 2014, but remained at or below 20,000 from 2015 through 2023. In 2020 and 2021, cases dropped to a record low (below 10,000) because most schools closed due to COVID-19. But in 2024, cases shot back up to 35,435.
Whooping cough (pertussis) cases have skyrocketed by more than 1,500% nationwide since 2021.
Deaths tied to the disease are also up — hitting 10 last year, compared with about two to four in previous years — and cases are on track to exceed that total in 2025.
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