Drop in vaccination rates has led to worrying rise in whooping cough cases, investigation finds

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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Whooping cough cases are increasing A new investigation has found that vaccination rates for the highly contagious respiratory disease have declined.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it starts like the common cold but is followed by severe coughing attacks that can last for several months.

The CDC says infants under one year of age are at the highest risk for whooping cough and may have life-threatening symptoms. Many infants with whooping cough do not cough at all and instead have trouble breathing.

As of December 6, the C.D.C. track 26,632 cases of whooping cough this year. This is lower than the 38,855 cases recorded during the same time last year, but significantly higher than the 7,063 cases recorded in 2023.

Pertussis cases are rising due to declining vaccination rates for the highly contagious respiratory disease, a new investigation finds

Pertussis cases are rising due to declining vaccination rates for the highly contagious respiratory disease, a new investigation finds ,iStock/Getty Images,

One NBC News/Stanford University The investigation found that nearly 70 percent of counties and jurisdictions in 31 states fell below the 95 percent target vaccination rate for whooping cough in children.

The CDC says the best way to prevent whooping cough is for people of all ages to get vaccinated. It is recommended that young children receive dtap vaccineWhich protects against whooping cough and bacterial diseases diphtheria and tetanus.

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In states that provided testing with data dating back to 2019, DTaP vaccination rates declined in more than 75 percent of counties and jurisdictions.

These numbers indicate a widespread decline in childhood vaccination rates for various diseases across the country Doubts on the vaccine started increasing during Covid-19 pandemic,

The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated for people of all ages, the CDC says

The best way to prevent whooping cough is to get vaccinated for people of all ages, the CDC says ,Robin Beck/AFP via Getty Images,

During the 2024-2025 school year, coverage of the DTaP vaccine, the polio vaccine, the varicella vaccine, which protects against chickenpox, and the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, dropped by more than half in states compared to the previous year, the CDC They say,

Whole-cell pertussis vaccine was first licensed in the US in 1914 and was available as a combination vaccine with diphtheria and tetanus inactivated toxins in 1948.

By the 1950s, whooping cough affected about 70,000 to 265,000 people each year, according to the CDC. data It goes back to 1922.

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