Douglas county sees increase in whooping cough cases

Douglas County saw a large increase in pertussis cases, better known as whooping cough, in 2024.

Whooping cough, a bacterial disease that causes severe coughing, is most dangerous for infants and people with compromised immune systems.

The most recent data from the Douglas County Health Department said there were 183 cases reported in 2024, triple the last highest recorded number of 64 in 2013.

Lindsay Huse, the director for the Douglas County Health Department, said most of the cases they’re seeing are in children and young adults age 11-19, a group who interact at school and tend to participate in various social activities and sports.

“Those adolescents have had a booster at some point, but oftentimes we see that particular booster kind of wear off over time" Huse said. "So I think what we’re seeing is that they’re losing that immunity from their booster, and now they’re vulnerable, and we have a lot of it circulating in the community, which means more people are getting sick.”

Douglas County is not alone in seeing a large uptick in cases. The state as a whole saw a jump in cases in 2024. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported there were 451 confirmed and probable cases of pertussis in Nebraska within the past year. Nationally, the CDC reported 35,435 cases as of Dec. 28, 2024, compared to 7,063 during the same timeframe the previous year.

Huse said the number of cases has started to slow down, after peaking the week before Thanksgiving with 33 cases reported that week. She said the most recent weekly report was nine cases.

Huse added as people begin returning to work and school, the best ways to avoid becoming sick and infecting others is to make sure you are up to date on your vaccines, wash your hands and stay home if you are sick.