What the CDC has overlooked about the 'resurgence' of whooping cough

Caryn Lipson

December 29, 2024

Whooping cough cases up from last year

Ominous headlines are now warning about a record-level surge in whooping cough (pertussis) cases. Cases are six times higher than they were last year.

The Epoch Times reports on the six-fold increase:

Cases of whooping cough have increased about six-fold since the same time period last year, according to new data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a recent update.

‍As of Dec. 14, the last data available, more than 32,000 cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, have been reported across the United States, according to the CDC’s update on Dec. 20.

The Hill also covered on the surge:

Whooping cough cases have increased to record levels since 2014, with four times as many cases compared to last year, data from the CDC showed.

‍There have been more than 16,000 cases this year alone and two confirmed deaths, statistics revealed. In 2023, more than 3,700 cases were registered nationwide.

Cases just returning to previous levels

Comparisons to last year are misleading, though. Read a little further, and you’ll learn that the cases are just going back to pre-pandemic levels.

The Hill quoted the CDC:

“The United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year.”

The Epoch Times also quoted the CDC:

“Reports of pertussis cases were lower than usual over the past few years, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic,” the CDC added. “However, the United States is beginning to return to pre-pandemic patterns where more than 10,000 cases are typically reported each year.”

Mitigation measures and vaccine hesitancy responsible

The CDC, the Epoch Times continues, attributes the decline in cases during and following the pandemic to mitigation measures such as masking and social distancing.

Some mitigation measures that were used during the COVID-19 pandemic such as social distancing and mask-wearing may have lowered the transmission of whooping cough, the CDC said.

The Hill cites officials and experts who attribute the surge to missed vaccinations during COVID and masking requirements which supposedly lowered transmission temporarily.

Experts and officials chalk up the surge to missed vaccinations during the COVID pandemic as well as mitigation measures such as masking requirements that lowered transmission of the infection.

The Hill quoted Dr. Tina Tan, president-elect of the Infectious Disease Society of America, who blamed an increase in vaccine hesitancy for a rise in cases among unvaccinated children.

The Epoch Times, on the other hand, cites the CDC, explaining that whooping cough can occur “both in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations,” because “protection from the vaccine fades over time.”

However, studies from before and during COVID show that masks are ineffective and, as Dr. Fauci admitted, there was no evidence to support the social distancing rules. The lockdowns cannot be the reason for the lower 2023 levels either, as there was also no evidence to support the lockdowns, as Dr. Birx has also admitted.

And, if the cases are just going back to pre-pandemic levels, is it reasonable to attribute the surge to missed vaccinations, especially since the CDC states that the vaccinated can get whooping cough, too?

Is there another explanation for the rise in cases?

The truth about the vaccine

What the CDC neglected to mention is that the vaccine only prevents the vaccinee from presenting with whooping cough symptoms, but does not prevent a person from colonizing and transmitting the whooping cough bacteria to others. That makes vaccinated children and anyone else vaccinated with DTaP or TDaP vaccines (P is for pertussis) silent carriers.

This was discovered in 2013 in a study with baboons. Baboons vaccinated with the acellular whooping cough vaccine colonized the infection in their throats but had no symptoms. Unvaccinated baboons were symptomatic, while baboons vaccinated with the whole-cell vaccine (no longer used because of severe adverse effects) harbored the bacteria for a shorter period than the other groups. Baboons that had previously had whooping cough remained perfectly healthy

As expected, the unvaccinated baboons developed severe whooping cough, while the baboons that had been sick previously remained well, the research team reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Both groups of vaccinated animals also remained healthy. However, the germ persisted an average of 35 days in the throats of baboons vaccinated with the acellular shot, though it grew less thickly than it did in the throats of the sick, unvaccinated animals. Baboons vaccinated with the whole-cell shot harbored the germ for 18 days, and it did not grow at all in animals that previously had recovered from pertussis.

Another study demonstrated that the vaccinated baboons were able to infect unvaccinated baboons.

In another experiment, two baboons that had received acellular vaccines were exposed to whooping cough germs and then each was put in a cage 2 days later with previously unexposed baboons. In both cases, the vaccinated animals transmitted the germ to their cage mates, who developed pertussis. Follow-up studies showed that animals vaccinated with the acellular shots did not generate sufficient numbers of a particular variety of white blood cell to fight the pertussis infection as well as those receiving the older [whole cell] vaccine.‍

Jeffrey Jaxen and Del Bigtree of The Highwire discussed the vaccine's short duration of protection and how it might contribute to the spread of whooping cough in their clip (below), “How DTaP vaccine spreads whooping cough.” They reviewed studies, including one from 2019 (@11:20, screenshot below), which highlighted the resurgence of the disease. The study stated that the vaccine does not prevent colonization; as a result, it cannot reduce the circulation of the bacteria or provide any herd immunity effect.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives or legal or financial issues.

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