Whooping cough outbreaks in North Carolina and across the nation have authorities looking for answers on how to get the public vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease and stop its spread.
Whooping cough cases in North Carolina have risen sharply in 2024. There have been close to 600 reported cases — 6.4 times more than last year at this time.
Nationally, cases are 4.8 times higher, federal data shows.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending everyone be vaccinated against whooping cough (pertussis) and asserting that whooping cough vaccines are the best way to guard against this bacterial infection.
“Whooping cough affects people of all ages. Babies younger than one year old are at greatest risk for getting whooping cough and having severe complications from it,” a CDC spokesperson said in prepared remarks.
Liz Lord, deputy director of the Nash County Health Department, concurs.
“Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious but preventable respiratory disease that most commonly affects infants and young children,” Lord said.