Whopping cough cases triple in the U.S. as county is 'simply returning to normal'

The number of whooping cough cases in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past year.
The number of whooping cough cases in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past year. Photo credit The number of whooping cough cases in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past year.

The number of whooping cough cases in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past year.

That’s the word from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports there have been 10,865 cases recorded so far this year – compared to 2,918 at the same time last year.

While the rise in cases might alarm some people, emergency medical physician Dr. Mike Patrick says the country is simply returning to normal.

"During the pandemic, we really had a low point in transmission, and that was just because of all of the social distancing and isolation," Patrick says. "If kids aren't around each other, and also around adults, then they're not able to pick up the disease, since it's an infectious disease and transmitted from one person to another."

Supporting Patrick’s argument is CDC data from 2019, which indicates there were 8,721 whooping cough cases that year – which is a lot closer to this year’s figure.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: The number of whooping cough cases in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past year.