Extremely Contagious Bacterial Infection Now On The Rise

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the highly contagious bacterial infection known as pertussis, commonly referred to as whooping cough, experienced a decline throughout the United States.

Unfortunately, that decline was short-lived because cases are now rising yet again.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis has again reached pre-pandemic levels in America.

Increase in Pertussis Cases in 2024

Preliminary data reported on September 14th, 2024, showed more than five times the number of cases compared to the same time in 2023.

Alarmingly, the number of cases surpassed the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data suggest that America may return to a pre-pandemic trend, with more than 10,000 cases reported annually.

Whooping Cough Vaccination

Thankfully, there is a vaccination for whooping cough.

Remember, though whooping cough can still occur in people who have had a vaccination.

Reporting Pertussis

In the United States, pertussis is considered a nationally notifiable disease, which requires healthcare providers to report suspected cases to health departments.

History Of Pertussis

Pertussis was one of the most prevalent childhood disease diseases in the early 20th century.

Before vaccines were introduced in the 1940s, over 200,000 cases had been reported in the United States.

The introduction of the diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and whole-cell pertussis vaccine in 1948 reduced the number of cases by over 90%.

This trend of decreased cases continued throughout the mid-20th century.

Pertussis cases began to climb again in the 1980s, and there was another spike in 2012.

20 States With The Worst Medical Shortages

According to 24/7, These are the worst 20 states with medical shortages.

"To determine the states whose residents were most affected by both prescription and over-the-counter drug shortages, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a report by the LendingTree insurance subsidiary ValuePenguin, a consumer spending data site."

COUGH! Countdown to the Most Expensive US State to Be a Smoker

How much money does it cost to be a smoker? Beyond the out-of-pocket expenses for a pack of smokes, what other financial factors come into play? How much could be saved annually instead of buying cigarettes? What are the annual health-care costs and how much income is lost as a result of smoking? Using data compiled by the financial gurus at WalletHub, let's Countdown to the Most Expensive State to Be a Smoker in the USA

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow