(MENAFN) Newly released statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that more than 25,000 instances of whooping cough have been documented across the United States.

This represents the second consecutive year in which infections have surpassed typical levels.

At a comparable point the previous year, approximately 33,000 cases of pertussis had been logged.

Current CDC data reveal that reported whooping cough infections have now climbed well beyond those seen before the pandemic.

In 2019, roughly 18,600 illnesses were registered, underscoring the marked increase in recent years.

Young infants remain particularly susceptible to this highly transmissible illness. Earlier this year, the states of Washington and Louisiana each disclosed infant fatalities linked to the disease.

In February, the Spokane Regional Health District publicized Washington’s first confirmed “pertussis”-related death since 2011.

Similarly, the Louisiana Office of the Surgeon General verified that two very young infants had passed away within the preceding six months, noting that the most recent prior fatality occurred in 2018.

Whooping cough—also known as “pertussis”—is triggered by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, according to the CDC.

These microbes fasten themselves to the cilia within the upper respiratory system and emit toxins that harm these delicate hair-like structures, ultimately causing inflammation and swelling of the air passages.

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