Oregon Whooping Cough Cases Hit 74-Year High as Vaccination Rates Drop

Oregon recorded 1,105 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in 2024, the highest count for a single year since 1950, when the state reported 1,420 cases, the Oregon Health Authority said.

The disease is called whooping cough because of the high-pitched gasping sound that sufferers make when they inhale after a bout of coughing. It’s caused by the highly contagious bacterium Bordetella pertussis and can be fatal for children under 1 year old.

Pertussis is easily prevented by vaccination, but immunization wears off over time, making people vulnerable as they age. For that reason, so-called herd immunity is important for prevention. Vaccination rates for all diseases have been falling in Oregon since 2020, according to OHA. The COVID pandemic hit the U.S. that year, and false science about the coronavirus vaccine raised concern about other vaccines.

In its announcement of last year’s figures, OHA implored people to get the pertussis vaccine.

“As Oregon closes out 2024 with a record-breaking number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases, health officials remind everyone that vaccination is the best way to prevent pertussis and, particularly, severe illness among babies,” OHA said.

An acellular pertussis vaccine is often given in combination with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. In 2019, 81.5% of Oregon 2-year-olds were up to date on the DTaP vaccine, OHA figures show. In 2023, the number fell to 78.6%.

Even small declines can make the population more vulnerable. Alex Cogen, now 26, contracted pertussis when he was 13, despite being vaccinated.

“I was coughing nonstop for seven months,” Cogen says. “It felt like there was a knife in my lung, and my brain was pounding.”

Since 2003, pertussis has killed eight Oregonians, OHA said. Five of them were under 4 months old. One adult died in 2023, and two perished last year.

Infants can’t be vaccinated against pertussis until they are 2 months old. For that reason, OHA recommends that expectant mothers get the vaccine sometime between the 27th and 36th weeks of gestation. Mothers make antibodies and pass them to their babies across the placenta, protecting them from the moment of birth.

Learn more about where to get vaccines in Oregon here.