Five times as many cases of the potentially fatal illness have been reported so far in 2024, compared with the same time last year.

Dr. Jon LaPook talks about the infections on the rise this season, including whooping cough and walking pneumonia.

Cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, have surged to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The early symptoms of whooping cough sound like a normal cold but the coughs develop into ones that sound like “whoop” when those who are sick gasp for air after coughing. The symptoms may be a bit different for babies and young children who don’t cough but instead have difficulty breathing, the CDC said.

This 2016 illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts Bordetella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough, based on electron microscope imagery. (Meredith Newlove/CDC via AP) MILWAUKEE (AP) — Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year,

There have been 18,506 cases of whooping cough reported so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped

The CDC said there have been four-times as many cases of whooping cough as last year. This disease along with walking pneumonia are becoming more common, especially in children. These illnesses are highly contagious,

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is seeing a decade high in whooping cough cases, with more than 17,500 cases nationwide.