• Posted April 3, 2025

Two Louisiana Infants Die of Whooping Cough Amid Drop in Vaccinations

Health experts are warning that whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is making a dangerous comeback.

Cases are rising across the country, and Louisiana recently reported that two infants have died -- the state’s first deaths from the illness since 2018.

“For infants, it’s really rather terrifying,” Dr. John Schieffelin, an associate professor of pediatrics at Tulane University, told CNN. “They’re just coughing so much, they can’t eat, they can’t drink, and they often get a pneumonia, which means we have to put them on a ventilator. They just never stop coughing.”

Whooping cough is a contagious illness that causes long, painful coughing fits.

Many have to be placed on ventilators due to pneumonia and nonstop coughing, Schieffelin added.

So far this year, Louisiana has reported 110 cases of pertussis. That’s close to the 154 total cases reported for all of 2024, CNN reported.

The U.S. saw more than 35,000 cases last year -- the most in over 10 years. Ten people also died, including six babies under 1 year old, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Experts say that low vaccination rates and fading immunity are driving the surge.

“When you start to see these outbreaks … it tends to be as a result of that increased circulation of the microbe in the community, as well as populations with no immunity or reduced immunity that are susceptible to the infection,” Lisa Morici, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Tulane University School of Medicine, told CNN.

Children should get the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, or DTaP, vaccine at 2, 4, 6 and 15-18 months, and again at 4 to 6 years of age. 

A booster (Tdap) is recommended at age 11 or 12, and again every 10 years for adults, according to the CDC.

Pregnant women are urged to get the Tdap vaccine during their third trimester. This helps protect babies too young to get vaccinated, according to the CDC. 

The CDC says this prevents 78% of cases in newborns and is 91% effective at preventing hospital stays.

Schieffelin also recommend "cocooning," a tactic in which family members and caregivers get vaccinated to help protect infants.

Declining vaccination rates are a big concern, experts say. Fewer kindergartners in the U.S. are getting the DTaP shots, leaving many kids at risk. Some experts also blame a lack of access to care.

“Especially in a state like Louisiana, we’ve got a lot of poverty. We’ve got a lot of rural populations, and not everyone has access to regular medical care,”  Jennifer Herricks, founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, told CNN.

Some are also worried about the messages about vaccination that are coming from the government.

“The State of Louisiana and [Louisiana Department of Health] have historically promoted vaccines for vaccine preventable illnesses through our parish health units, community health fairs, partnerships and media campaigns,” state Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham wrote in a memo. “While we encourage each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their provider, LDH will no longer promote mass vaccination.”

 Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department, warned about the consequences.

“When you cast aspersions or doubt about the safety and efficacy of one vaccine, I think it really has a ripple effect for all vaccines,” she noted.

Abraham, has since shared pertussis vaccine guidance online, but Avegno fears that it may be too late.

“I’ve been encouraged that our state Department of Health is putting out good messaging about pertussis, but I worry that it’s going to get sort of lost in the in the shuffle,” Avegno said. “It’s may be too little, too late.”

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more information on whooping cough.

SOURCE: CNN, April 2, 2025