AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported a sharp rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in 2024, with the number of cases so far this year nearly tripling ... The first day of school is just days away in Haywood County, and health officials are keeping a close watch on a summertime outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. The county has ...

Understanding the Context

What is Pertussis? Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly infectious disease that affects the respiratory tract. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Following a period of reduced pertussis activity during 2020–2021, South Africa experienced a marked resurgence in 2022 and 2023.

Key Insights

Case numbers declined through 2024 but have shown a gradual increase during 2025. Figure 1: Number of laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases reported through the Notifiable Medical Conditions (NMC) surveillance system, by province, South Africa, 2018–2025. probable (epidemiologically-linked) case of pertussis: Any person with signs and symptoms consistent with pertussis OR clinical suspicion of pertussis AND epidemiological linkage, by contact, to a laboratory-confirmed case of pertussis in the 21 days before symptom onset. Following a period of reduced pertussis activity during 2020–2021, South Africa experienced a marked resurgence in 2022 and 2023. Case numbers declined in 2024 but have shown a gradual increase from 2025 into early 2026.

Final Thoughts

Pertussis can be prevented by active immunisation with pertussis-containing vaccines. In South Africa, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (SA-EPI) schedule includes four doses of acellular pertussis vaccine.