San Bernardino County health officials are sounding the alarm as whooping cough cases nearly triple compared to last year, part of a nationwide rise that has pediatricians and epidemiologists increasingly uneasy.
The county is urging residents — especially pregnant individuals and families with young children — to get vaccinated as pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory disease, spreads more widely and more quickly than officials saw even a year ago.
Pertussis, known for the distinctive “whoop” that accompanies severe coughing fits, can last up to 10 weeks and lead to serious complications, including breathing trouble, cracked ribs, and cyanosis. Infants under 12 months remain the most vulnerable.
“Infants are especially vulnerable to severe disease, which is why timely vaccination is so important,” said San Bernardino County Health Officer Dr. Sharon Wang. “A single dose of Tdap during pregnancy can help protect newborns before they’re old enough to be vaccinated.”
County officials say low childhood vaccination rates — part of a years‑long slide — are worsening the spread. Uptake of both DTaP and Tdap vaccines has declined below herd-immunity thresholds not only in California, but across states experiencing severe outbreaks this winter, including Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi.
Here’s what to know about whooping cough and vaccinations.
California braces as other states see surges in whooping cough
While California’s surge is most pronounced in San Bernardino County, health agencies statewide are preparing for wider spread this winter.
Other states offer a preview of what California may face:
Those states share a troubling pattern: vaccination rates slipping below 95%, the threshold needed to prevent broad outbreaks.
California’s childhood rates have dipped in recent years as well, though not as sharply. Public health departments warn that the same dynamics — falling vaccination, post‑pandemic immunity gaps, and increased travel — create perfect conditions for pertussis to return in multi‑year cycles. Wisconsin, for instance, saw more than 2,600 cases in 2024, followed by a decline in 2025 driven by pertussis’ natural cyclical pattern.
Experts caution that California’s numbers could follow a similar arc — or spike more sharply if vaccination rates continue falling.
The Trump Administration’s arguments for its vaccine, health policies
Trump Administration health policy officials argue that:
The Trump administration maintained that these positions protected individual liberties, preserved local autonomy, and avoided what it described as “overreach” in school and workplace vaccination requirements.
Whooping cough symptoms
How whooping cough affects the lungs
A look back: Whooping cough’s cycles in the U.S.
The U.S. has long wrestled with cyclical pertussis outbreaks. Before a vaccine was introduced in the 1940s, whooping cough killed thousands of children each year and hospitalized tens of thousands more, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Widespread vaccination brought dramatic declines — but pertussis never disappeared. Instead, it shifted into predictable multi‑year waves, typically spiking every three to five years, according the National Institute of Health. Surges in 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2018 were followed by temporary lulls before another escalation.
The CDC says the disease remains stubborn due to:
California last saw a major pertussis wave in the early 2010s, including the state’s worst outbreak in 60 years in 2010, when 10 infants died, according to the NIH. Health officials say today’s vaccination tools are effective — but require timely use, especially during pregnancy and early childhood.
California’s ongoing conflict with Trump-era health policies
The state’s public health messaging now re-enters political terrain it navigated throughout the Trump administration. California clashed repeatedly with federal officials over vaccine communication, school immunization requirements, and the CDC’s messaging during the pandemic.
During the Trump years, California health authorities often issued state‑level guidance that conflicted with federal rhetoric, particularly around:
How Californians can protect themselves
Public health departments say that vaccination is the most effective protection:
Additional safeguards include handwashing, covering coughs, staying home when sick, and seeking medical care for suspected pertussis.
Vaccine appointments can be scheduled at myturn.ca.gov, local pharmacies, or primary care providers. San Bernardino residents can contact the county’s Public Health Department at 800‑722‑4794.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Whooping cough surge in SoCal could foreshadow statewide concern
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz and James Ward, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
