Whooping cough cases in Florida have risen by 81% this year compared with 2024.
Compared with the WHO pertussis case definition, a modified definition including apnea and omitting cough duration improved sensitivity but lowered specificity.
Mississippi has recorded 115 pertussis cases this year, sharply higher than in 2024.
Earlier this month, RFK Jr said he does not believe the federal government should mandate any vaccine.
Since 2024, antibiotic-resistant pertussis cases have been detected in 4 nations in the Americas: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and the US.
No deaths have been recorded in Mississippi this year, but 10 patients have been hospitalized.
Of the 19.9 million children who either have no vaccines or only partial DTP vaccination coverage, 55% live in 10 countries.
These are the first whooping cough deaths in the state since 2018.
The US has been hit hardest, with more than 10,000 cases and 5 deaths, 4 of them in children younger than 1 year.
Part of a national rise in cases, Louisiana has reported two infant deaths from pertussis this year.
Louisiana officials have said they will no longer promote vaccinations, despite rising whooping cough cases in their state.
PAHO is tracking a rise in dengue serogroup 3 activity, which could raise the risk of severe illness as countries approach the peak of the season.
Of the state's 2,000 whooping cough cases through October, 62 involved hospitalized infants, 1 of whom died.
Thirty percent of respondents don't know that pertussis is the same as whooping cough or that it is vaccine-preventable.
The results support the vaccines' use as boosters in adolescents, the authors say.
They did recognize that adults with weakened immune systems and chronic respiratory illnesses are at elevated risk for severe illness.
With flu and COVID levels still low but expected to rise, the CDC said vaccination is a good way to cut risk over the holiday season.
As flu test positivity crept upward, emergency department visits increased slightly among children and adolescents.
Washington, for example, has reported nearly 1,200 cases this year, up sharply from 2023.
Through the first half of 2024, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru are seeing increases in pertussis cases.
