Whooping cough cases are soaring in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the Trump administration’s cuts to federal health agencies and funding destabilize programs that monitor disease and promote vaccination.
The U.S. has tallied 8,077 cases of whooping cough in 2025, compared with 3,847 cases in the same period last year, the CDC’s data shows. The bacterial illness, formally known as pertussis, spreads easily and is especially dangerous for infants.