Arkansas sees whooping cough surge
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Arkansas saw its highest level of whooping cough cases in 15 years at 500 cases — and one death — in 2025, according to a news release from the state's department of health.
The big picture: This comes as the Trump administration on Monday dramatically overhauled the federal childhood vaccination schedule, cutting the number of recommended shots from 17 to 11 to align with what it called "consensus among peer nations," Axios' Caitlin Owens writes.
- The slimmed-down recommendations are likely to result in a drop-off in the number of children who receive the non-recommended vaccines, and could be followed by a rise in the prevalence of those diseases.
- The government will continue to recommend that all children be vaccinated against whooping cough as well as diphtheria, tetanus, influenza type B, pneumonia, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, human papillomavirus and chickenpox.
By the numbers: Based on 2025 data, 88.5% of Arkansas kindergarteners are up to date on their DTaP vaccinations, which prevent pertussis, or whooping cough, Arkansas Department of Health spokesperson Ashley Whitlow told Axios.
- At least 50 people were hospitalized with the illness in 2025, and more than 60% of those hospitalized were under 1 year old. The majority of pertussis cases were among school-aged children and teenagers, according to the department. The age of the person who died was not available.
Zoom out: All but seven of Arkansas' 75 counties have measles vaccination rates over 95%, the threshold needed for herd immunity, where enough people are immune to prevent community spread, according to data compiled by The Washington Post.
- The vaccination rates in Benton and Washington counties are 99.2%.
Nationally, many counties are falling below herd immunity, contributing to a spike in measles cases, and setting the U.S. up to lose its elimination status for the first time in decades, Axios' Herb Scribner writes.