A childhood disease that was once virtually eliminated in the United States has been steadily resurging, causing an outbreak at a school in Pasadena, California, the New York Post reported.
Instances of pertussis, commonly known as "whooping cough," peaked at over 265,000 cases in the U.S. in 1934, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracking data.
A highly effective combination vaccine was introduced in 1948, and CDC data indicated that pertussis cases plummeted from 156,517 in 1947 to 28,295 in 1957.
By 1965, a scant 6,799 cases of whooping cough were reported, a number that dwindled to 1,010 in 1976 — after which, case counts began slowly ticking upward again.
On April 29, the Pasadena Public Health Department issued a press release about four confirmed cases of pertussis at Don Benito Fundamental School, warning the community of "elevated pertussis activity" in the area.
Pasadena Public Health Department epidemiologist Dr. Matt Feaster told KABC that schoolchildren were, unfortunately, in ideal conditions for the spread of pertussis.
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"Kids are the perfect vessels for transmission — even if they're fully vaccinated," he explained. "In this instance, all four of our cases were fully vaccinated. What the vaccine does is protect you from severe illness and death."
In December, NBC News reported that waning vaccination rates had set the stage for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses like whooping cough, which hit a 10-year high in 2025, with 26,632 recorded infections.
The outlet underscored the importance of vaccination rates, citing a public health expert.
"Approximately one-third of babies with pertussis must be hospitalized, and one in 100 will die," a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority said.
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An across-the-board reduction in vaccination and booster rates isn't the only driving factor, as a 2023 study in BMC Public Health found.
Rising temperatures are known to increase the spread of infectious diseases, particularly respiratory infections such as pertussis.
In addition to climate instability, the study's authors identified a link between air pollution and what they termed a "global resurgence of pertussis."
Public health officials in Pasadena urged the community to be alert for signs of whooping cough, advising residents that confirming infections and early intervention with antibiotics were key to limiting the pertussis outbreak.
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