In October, the agency said the number of pertussis cases were five times greater than the previous year. The week before Thanksgiving, weekly reported cases reached 10 times higher than 2023, CBS News reported Dec. 5.
The increase could be related to waning vaccine efficacy and a decrease in whooping cough infection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC.
For the 2024-25 respiratory illness season, the CDC has said it should be similar or slightly better than last season. Here is the latest on COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus:
1. COVID-19: Over the past week, test positivity has risen 0.3%, the number of emergency department visits has fallen 1.3% and deaths are 0.2% lower. Hospitalizations have also declined since mid-September.
2. Influenza: The South and East are reporting elevated rates of influenza-like illness and the percentage of pediatric ED visits for influenza, but nationally, influenza activity remains low.
3. RSV: In southern, central and eastern parts of the U.S., RSV activity is elevated and is increasing as of Dec. 2.
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