Oregon swept past the 1,100 mark for the number of pertussis cases it’s seen during 2024, beating its 2012 record of 910 cases in a single year; and making the need for people to stay up to date with their vaccinations all the more urgent.
As of Monday, Dec. 30, Oregon Health Authority registered 1,105 cases of pertussis; also known as whooping cough during 2024. There were 44 outbreaks, although the majority of cases were sporadic individual or household-related cases and not associated with outbreaks. The 2024 count represents the highest number of pertussis cases reported in Oregon in a single year since 1950, when 1,420 cases were reported.
Since 2003, eight Oregonians with pertussis have died. Five were younger than 4 months old, and there have been three deaths in adults; one in 2023 and two in 2024.
While Oregon didn’t beat its 74-year record for most cases in a year, 1,105 is still an extremely high number for a vaccine-preventable disease, said Paul Cieslak, M.D., medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division. It’s also a stark reminder of how quickly the bacterial infection can spread and cause illness, particularly among people who are under- or unvaccinated.
“The pertussis vaccine is a public health success story in terms of its effectiveness in reducing severe illness and deaths from the disease; particularly among infants,” Cieslak said.
According to data from the epidemiologists in Oregon Public Health Division’s Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Section, the median age of the 2024 cases is 12; 7.2% of cases are less than a year old, 80% are 18 or younger and 50% are female. About half of the cases are up to date with pertussis vaccines.
Lane County has reported the highest number of pertussis cases this year with 315. Rounding out the top five counties are Multnomah, 235 cases; Clackamas, 135; Washington, 119; and Marion, 75.
Pertussis case counts vary considerably from year to year, routinely reaching triple digits. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions such as masking requirements and school closures were in effect, which kept annual case counts low, Cieslak said. Vaccination rates also slipped.
“People were less motivated to get vaccinated against pertussis when there was less concern they would be exposed to the infection in the first place,” he said.
But with pertussis activity so high this year, there are more opportunities for people to be exposed, Cieslak noted. Those who are unvaccinated or too young to be vaccinated, such as infants, are at the highest risk from infection, with babies most likely to be hospitalized with pertussis.
But there are ways to protect vulnerable individuals. Pregnant people can protect their young babies by getting the Tdap vaccine; which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis at 27 -36 weeks gestation. Mothers will make antibodies and pass them to their babies across the placenta, protecting them from the moment of birth. It is recommended during each pregnancy.
“In recent years, about two-thirds of pregnant Oregonians have been getting vaccinated during pregnancy,” Cieslak said. “However, only 11 of the mothers of the 80 infant cases this year had documentation of having gotten the recommended shot.”
Vaccination against pertussis is routinely recommended for infants, children, adolescents and adults. Children should receive the DTaP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis at 2, 4, 6 and 15 to 18 months old, and again at age 4 to kindergarten age. All persons 10 years old and older should receive a single dose of Tdap.
“Additionally, when pertussis strikes a household in which an infant or pregnant person lives, we recommend all members of the household receive a course of antibiotics effective against Bordetella pertussis typically, a five-day course of azithromycin,” Cieslak said.
