Louisiana’s Whooping Cough Surge Could Set a 35-Year Record—Infant Deaths Prompt Urgent Warning from Health Officials

BATON ROUGE, La. (KPEL News) — Louisiana is seeing a dangerous spike in whooping cough cases that could make 2025 the worst year in more than three decades.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), 164 cases have been confirmed in just the first four months of the year—already surpassing 2024’s total. Most alarming: two infants have died and dozens more have been hospitalized.

Get our free mobile app

The disease, which is also known as pertussis, has hit Louisiana hard so far this year, following national trends. However, the numbers are even more tragic: More than 70 percent of hospitalizations in this surge have involved babies under the age of one.

And while it’s a disease that cycles through communities every few years, officials say this year is already breaking records.

Why This Matters for Louisiana

According to the CDC, whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes violent coughing fits. It’s especially dangerous for infants, who are too young to receive the vaccine that protects against it. That makes them particularly vulnerable to exposure from unvaccinated adults, siblings, and caregivers.

Health officials confirmed that the two infant deaths this year are the first from whooping cough in Louisiana since 2018.

The LDH has also reported 40 hospitalizations since September 2024, underscoring how quickly this year’s wave is escalating.

How Whooping Cough Spreads

While anyone can get pertussis, the risk of severe complications and death is highest in babies under one year old, especially those not yet old enough for their first vaccine dose.

Like most respiratory diseases, whooping cough is spread through coughing, sneezing, or close contact. Most people don’t even realize they’re contagious in the early stages, which allows the bacteria to move quickly through households, daycares, and schools.

People remain infectious for up to three weeks after symptoms begin, unless treated early with antibiotics.

READ MORE: Louisiana Health Department Changing Vaccine Policy

What the LDH Recommends

With the surge already underway, LDH is urging families to take the following steps:

• Check vaccine records for yourself and your children. DTaP (for kids under 7) and Tdap (for older kids and adults) provide protection, though immunity fades over time.
• Pregnant women should get a Tdap booster during the third trimester of each pregnancy to protect newborns.
• Practice routine hygiene: Wash hands, cover coughs, and avoid sharing food, utensils, or personal items.
• If you’re sick, stay home and call your doctor before showing up at the office.
• If exposed to pertussis, talk to your provider about preventive antibiotics.

Vaccine Facts

There are two key vaccines for whooping cough:

• DTaP is given to infants and children under 7 in a 5-dose series (2, 4, 6, 15-18 months, and 4-6 years).
• Tdap is the booster for preteens (11-12), adults (every 10 years), and during each pregnancy.

Even if you were vaccinated as a child, protection fades over time, which is why boosters are critical.

Final Takeaway

Infants can’t be vaccinated until 2 months of age, which leaves them exposed during the most vulnerable stage of life. The best way to protect them is by making sure parents, siblings, grandparents, and anyone else in close contact are up to date on their vaccines.

Louisiana health officials are urging residents to stay alert, get vaccinated, and take steps to protect the most vulnerable, especially those babies too young to be vaccinated.