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Oregon has received more reports of whooping cough in 2025 than in any year on record, the Oregon Health Authority said Wednesday, signaling a mounting danger to infants at a time of declining vaccination rates in the state and beyond.
In response to the outbreak of the disease, also known as pertussis, OHA is urging Tdap vaccinations—for young children, adolescents and adults, and particularly for those who are pregnant.
“I worry people may not fully appreciate the risk pertussis poses as case counts are rising, especially for babies and older adults,” said Dr. Howard Chiou, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA’s Public Health Division, in a statement. “One of the most important things someone can do to protect their newborn is to get the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a statewide decline in maternal Tdap vaccination rates in Oregon, which is a dangerous trend.”
After a pandemic lull—which OHA attributes in part to widespread masking, as well as natural cycles of the disease—whooping cough rates in Oregon have skyrocketed.
The state says the current outbreak began in spring 2024—a year in which the state ultimately recorded 1,252 whooping cough cases.
In 2025, as of Wednesday, OHA has received 1,475 reported cases, breaking a record set in 1950.
OHA says other states have reported similar caseload spikes.
Babies with whooping cough constitute a small fraction of the recorded cases. As of Wednesday, the state has this year received 87 reports of infants with the disease. OHA says 22 of those cases resulted in hospitalization, and one resulted in an infant’s death earlier this year.
Infants face particular risks, the state says. Their immune systems are too weak to protect against infection until they get vaccinated at 2 months old—a reason OHA emphasizes vaccines in the third trimester of pregnancy, as well as for others who will be spending time around newborns.
Maternal Tdap vaccination rates in Oregon vary widely by county—from 17% to 82%. The state says the lowest rates tend to occur in rural counties, where it’s harder to find vaccines and people tend to be more wary.
Pertussis is a bacterial infection that spreads easily through droplets when someone coughs or sneezes. The only way a baby will become infected with pertussis is if they are exposed to someone with pertussis.
It can be hard to diagnose; sometimes people don’t make the whooping sound when coughing. Some experience mild symptoms. But its effects can be severe.
“‘I can say, I’ve seen whooping cough, and it’s truly awful for infants,” says Jennifer Gibbons, a Portland naturopathic pediatrician, in a written statement provided by OHA. Some parents will ask if they should get the vaccine, she says. And “then I’ll explain how the vaccine merely adds to the suite of protective antibodies that the mother is already providing the baby through the placenta. I’m always exploring ways to change my language with patients to see if I can get them to look at it differently.”
