Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has been spreading rapidly throughout the country. Preliminary from the Centers for Disease Control show that more than six times as many cases were reported in 2024 compared to the same time in 2023, reaching a level higher than in 2019, period to the pandemic.
That’s not surprising: Pertussis tends to be cyclical, with spikes in cases every three to five years. During the pandemic years, prevention measures such as social distancing, hand washing and masking helped to prevent transmission of many respiratory illnesses, including pertussis. Montana reported only one case of pertussis in 2021 and three cases in 2022.
Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread through respiratory droplets expelled when infected people cough, sneeze or talk. The infection is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis.
