Whooping Cough Cases Rise Across Louisiana, Health Dept Warns

Cases of the highly contagious disease pertussis (aka whooping cough) have sharply risen in Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Health's data shows that by the end of the year if whooping cough continues to spread at this rate, it will be over triple the yearly average of confirmed cases.

Read on to find out how to identify whooping cough and the first steps to treating it.

Young Children Most at Risk As Statewide Cases Surge

In 2024 there were 153 total confirmed cases of whooping cough in the Bayou State, and by the end of April 2025, there were already 164 confirmed cases. Whooping cough is highly contagious and spreads very easily between infected people.

Whooping cough is easily identifiable, it causes severe coughing fits and some coldlike symptoms. The nickname "whooping cough" comes from the unmistakable "whooping" sound when you take a breath right after a coughing fit.

Whooping cough isn't always considered dangerous for adults, but is at the very least an unpleasant experience for many. Though in some severe cases, it can lead to hospitalization, from September 2024 to April 2025 there have been 40 whooping cough hospitalizations. However, most of those hospitalizations were of babies less than a year old as pertussis/whooping cough is most dangerous to infants.

Pertussis is incredibly dangerous for babies and young toddlers. While early childhood vaccines for pertussis have existed since 1914, children are not eligible for the vaccine until two months old. That leaves newborn children under two months at the greatest risk of contracting whooping cough.

Recognize Whooping Cough to Protect Infants and Yourself

The Louisiana Department of Health warns that there have already been whooping cough deaths in 2025 and there could be more with cases on the rise.

If you suspect you or another has come down with whooping cough, it is easy enough to identify, and listen for an odd whooping sound when you or the other person breathes in after a coughing episode.

The LDH recommends vaccination to protect against whooping cough, including a vaccine given to pregnant mothers that gives the soon-to-be-born resistance to the disease.