Michigan's whooping cough cases spike amid falling vaccination rates
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Michigan's health department has seen a tenfold increase in whooping cough reports so far this year, compared with the state's annual average from 2020-2023.
Why it matters: The surge in reported pertussis (or whooping cough) cases to 1,112 in 2024 stems in part from decreasing childhood vaccination rates, the Detroit News reports.
- The end of COVID-era masking requirements and remote learning also are driving higher transmission.
What they're saying: "With a declining rate of immunizations, we are unfortunately seeing a rise in pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases statewide," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan's chief medical executive, told the News.
Context: Whooping cough might start like a common cold, but the coughing can last for weeks or months. Infants are especially vulnerable to contracting it and developing complications.
- Optimal prevention is through vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
By the numbers: About 71% of the state's 19- to 36-month-olds had received the recommended four doses of the DTaP vaccine as of September, per the News.
- That's down from about 75% in September 2019 and 2014.
Zoom in: Wayne County has seen 54 cases this year compared with 15 in 2023.
- "The influence of leadership that ignores science and evidence and perpetuates misinformation could only worsen this trend and put more children at risk," Dr. Avani Sheth, the county's chief medical officer, said in a statement to Axios.
The big picture: President-elect Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary has raised concerns that Kennedy's vaccine skepticism could undermine scientific expertise and affect vaccine rates.
- CDC director Mandy Cohen recently warned that Kennedy's views on vaccines could cost lives, Modern Healthcare reported.
"One of the reasons parents can feel comfortable sending their children to kindergarten is in knowing that their child is not going to get measles or whooping cough from the child sitting next to them because they had to be vaccinated," Richard Besser, a pediatrician and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told Axios earlier this month.
What's next: Kennedy is facing a bruising fight to become Health and Human Services secretary.
- The Senate confirmation process will examine his disproven vaccine claims, pro-abortion stance and past controversies.
Go deeper: RFK Jr. faces multiple risks to becoming health secretary