• Posted October 4, 2025

Whooping Cough Cases on the Rise: Newborns Most at Risk, Experts Say

When someone has whooping cough, the sound can be unmistakable: A deep, gasping “whoop” as they struggle to catch their breath between fits of coughing. 

Now, this once-rare illness, also known as pertussis, is making a comeback across the United States.

Cases have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and while the disease can be exhausting for adults, experts warn it can be life-threatening for newborns and infants, especially those under two months old.

Most babies in this age group who contract pertussis are hospitalized, according to a report published Oct. 3 in the journal Pediatrics.

“Pertussis symptoms are different in infants,” said lead author Dr. Caitlin Li, an infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The characteristic whooping cough may be absent, but apnea, or breathing interruption, is common.”

In infants, pertussis may also cause extremely high white blood cell counts, or leukocytosis, which can be mistaken for cancer or other serious conditions. 

Experts say doctors should strongly consider pertussis when evaluating infants with high white blood cell levels.

“Given that infants are at high risk for complications, pertussis vaccination of mothers during pregnancy is critical, as it protects newborns against this potentially fatal illness,” Li explained in a news release. “Widespread vaccination is also an important tool to protect everyone.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine childhood vaccination against pertussis at 2, 4, 6, 15-18 months and again at 4-6 years of age. 

A booster shot is advised between 11 and 12 years, with catch-up doses through age 18.

For expecting mothers, the CDC recommends receiving the Tdap vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, which helps pass protective antibodies to the fetus.

Early treatment is also key, experts say. Starting antibiotics as soon as possible can reduce symptoms and help prevent the disease from spreading to others.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the Tdap vaccination for pregnant women.

SOURCE: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, news release, Oct. 1, 2025