1792% increase

according to April 17 report of Michigan Live!

mlive.com

Another vaccine-preventable highly

contagious illness is on the rise in the

state of Michigan as uptake for decades-old

shots has declined in recent years.  Pertussis,

a.k.a. whooping cough, sickened 2,081 residents

in 2024.  It was the third annual increase and

a 19-fold jump from the 110 cases reported in

2023.

Doctors say that people of all ages need the

whooping cough vaccine. . .

so far in 2025 the number of cases is 497

a 1792% increase, according to MDHHS

(Michigan Department of Health and Human

Services).  The bacterial infection is known

to cause severe coughing fits in children,

lasting weeks to months.  It can be severe,

even fatal, especially for babies, who may

abruptly stop breathing.  Babies under the

age of 1 are at the greatest risk for getting

the infection and having severe complications,

according to the CDC (Center for Disease

Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA).

A pediatrician for U-M Health said, "Measles has

been in the news, but this is another public health

emergency and the best thing we can do is be

vaccinated, especially for young kids."

mlive.com/news/2025/04/michigan-sees-1792-

increase-in-whooping-cough-what-parents-should-know.html