After years of being relatively quiet, whooping cough is back with a vengeance. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a very contagious disease. “This disease is only found in humans and what happens is that the bacteria,

Infectious diseases experts say many Americans fell behind on their whooping cough vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they say has compounded the recent uptick in cases.

In a report published Thursday, whooping cough cases were more than four times the amount at this time last year.

Infants under 12 months and pregnant people are particularly vulnerable. A pediatric infectious disease specialist shares what you need to know.

The U.S. is experiencing more than four times as many whooping cough cases compared with last year — a spike that some experts attribute to post-pandemic vaccine fatigue.

Alaska state health officials say rates of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are the highest they’ve been in over 10 years. As of last Friday, the state had recorded 234 cases, most of them in July and August.

The resurgence of whooping cough cases in the US this year now accelerated to the fastest pace on record in nearly a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also known as pertussis – this bacterial infection is now again climbing around the country during the back-to-school season.