by Kate Evans
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO are warning about the substantial rise in cases of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) in the United States and globally.
Health officials say inadequate vaccination rates globally has brought these childhood diseases back to the U.S. after this country had eliminated them. 
Health officials advise that the best defense against getting measles and whooping cough is receiving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) and the DTap (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccines for whooping cough or pertussis.
The Dtap vaccine is used for babies and children under age seven and Tdap is for children older than age 7, pre-teens and teens, adults and pregnant women.
Measles
Measles is an airborne, highly contagious and extremely infectious disease and potentially severe rash illness that is vaccine-preventable.
Beginning measles symptoms include high fever (could rise to more than 104 degrees), cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. (conjunctivitis) The measles rash occurs in three to five days. Measles complications can include ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis.
Before the measles vaccine was available around 48,000 people were hospitalized and 400-500 people died in the United States every year.
Current cases
The CDC said that as of November 7 there has been a total of 277 measles cases reported by 32 states and jurisdictions that include West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.
Some 16 outbreaks of measles (3 or more related cases) were reported in 2024 and 71% (196 of 277) of 2024 measles cases were considered outbreak-related. In 2023 there were four outbreaks with 49% of the cases (29 of 59) outbreak-associated. 40% of the cases were hospitalized for isolation or management of measles complications, according to the CDC.
The number of measles cases around the world increased by 20% from 2022 to 2023, culminating in 10.5 million more measles cases, said WHO and CDC officials. Inadequate immunization coverage fueled the rise.
WHO and the CDC reported that over 22 million children globally didn’t receive the first dose of the two-dose measles vaccine in 2023. About 83% of children globally got the first dose last year and 74% received the second dose, they said.
Since measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000, new cases are only found when someone is infected with measles abroad and returns to the U.S.
West Virginia measles case
That occurred in West Virginia in late April, 2024 when the first case of measles in the state in 15 years was reported in Monongalia County from international travel. Some 152 people were considered potentially exposed to measles from the case. Later it was determined that no spread of measles from the case had occurred.
Measles can be dangerous for babies, children under five years old, adults over age 20, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, CDC officials said.
Whooping cough
Washington State has reported nearly 1,200 whooping cough cases this year as opposed to 51 cases last year. Health officials felt that the surge in whooping cough or pertussis cases is related to children not receiving their 10-year booster shots for whooping cough or infants that were eligible for the Dtap pertussis vaccine not receiving it.
Symptoms
Whooping cough is spread person-to-person by coughing or sneezing. Early symptoms of whooping cough can resemble a common cold with a runny nose, low-grade fever (less than 100.4 degrees) and a mild, occasional cough and last for a week or two. Symptoms can appear five to 10 days or even two to three weeks after exposure.
One to two weeks after the early symptoms start, people may develop violent coughing fits where they making whooping sounds after inhaling after a coughing fit. They may vomit, struggle to breathe, have difficulty sleeping, feel very fatigued and may even fracture a rib from coughing. Coughing fits can last up to 10 weeks, said CDC information.
Babies may have difficulty breathing or develop life-threatening pauses in breathing that may cause them to turn blue. Babies can die from pertussis.
Pertussis was one of the most common childhood diseases in the 20th Century and a major cause of childhood mortality in the United States. There were more than 200,000 cases every year before the pertussis vaccine was introduced in the 1940s.
As of November 9, there were 23,544 whooping cough cases in the United States (excluding U.S. territories) in 2024 compared to 5,074 as of November 9 in 2023.
West Virginia had 28 whooping cough cases as of November 9 (22 in 2023), in Maryland there have been 125 cases (17 in 2023), in Pennsylvania 2,523 cases (267 in 2023) and in Virginia, 604 cases (89 in 2023).
Prevention
Vaccination is the primary and best way to prevent infection by measles and whooping cough.
Primary care physicians, health care providers or pharmacists can review what an individual needs in vaccines to protect themselves from measles and whooping cough.
Vaccines are available at physicians’ offices, local health departments and pharmacies.
The public is reminded to stay home if sick, wash hands often with soap and water, clean commonly used objects often and wear a mask if sick or concerned about contracting a respiratory illness.
