Whooping cough has been spreading across the U.S. in recent months. And in Arizona, the number of cases is now at the highest level the state has seen in nine years.
As of early October, the Arizona Department of Health Services has confirmed 491 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, so far in 2024. That’s the highest count since 2015.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can be especially dangerous for babies.
Valleywise's Dr. Frank Lovecchio says whooping cough, also known as pertussis, presents as a deep, uncontrollable cough.
"Little kids can die of it, little babies can die of it. They get vaccinated, but we don't get revaccinated when we're older. You can get revaccinated for pertussis or whooping cough," said Lovecchio.
Dr. Allan Markus, an internal medicine provider with the Dignity Health Medical Group in Phoenix, said Arizonans should be aware that it’s spreading, since whooping cough can be difficult to diagnose.
“You need a specialized swab and you need a specialized collection technique in order to diagnose this, and even then, the testing only is positive 20-80% of the time,” Markus said. “For providers around the state, it’s very important that they’re aware of the increased numbers so they can do specialized testing, and also to make sure that people who are at risk are up-to-date with vaccinations.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends infants and children under 7 years old receive routine vaccinations against whooping cough. Adults should get vaccinated every 10 years as part of the Tdap booster, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria.
Arizona’s childhood vaccination rate for whooping cough is below the national average. According to the state health department, the whooping cough vaccination rate among Arizona kindergarteners was about 89% as of last year.
“But you really need to be at 95% or greater to prevent these outbreaks of whooping cough, to create what we call herd immunity,” Markus said.
KJZZ's Kathy Ritchie contributed to this report.
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