Oklahoma is seeing a huge rise in the number of whooping cough cases when you compare this year to last.
According to the latest data from the Center for Disease Control , Oklahoma has had 212 cases of whooping cough cases so far in 2024.
Last year at this time there were just seven.
In fact, just last week a private school in Tulsa told parents there were cases there and last month Bartlesville schools warned parents about several cases there.
Whooping cough cases jumped sharply year over year but across the country, they’re about where they were before COVID-19 hit in 2020.
The CDC tracks whooping cough cases using a national surveillance system. The latest data is from the week ending Oct. 5.
It shows five times as many whooping cough cases have been reported this year compared to the same time in 2023.
Whooping cough is also known as pertussis.
Doctors say because it’s spread through coughing and sneezing droplets, whooping cough is highly contagious.
Julia Maas is a registered nurse with two little ones and one on the way.