Whooping cough cases are on the rise in Nebraska

Cases of pertussis, also called whooping cough, have risen sharply in Nebraska over the past year.

So far in 2025, the Centers for Disease Control reports there have been 316 cases in Nebraska, compared to 202 in all of last year.

Eastern Nebraska saw spikes in case numbers toward the end of last year, and case counts have remained high in 2025.

Douglas County had 191 cases last year after a spike between Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than doubling the previous record of 75 cases in 2018. So far this year, there have been no large spikes, but overall, there have been more cases compared with the same time frame last year, said Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse.

“There's kind of a low level that's just kind of brewing out there,” said Huse. “I think part of it, and there are probably many factors that play into that, but certainly, you know, the fact that we did have kind of this really big spike last fall kind of seeded the environment, if you will, so that, you know, there just continues to be transmission within the community. We probably have some lower vaccination rates happening, and you know that can certainly contribute as well.”

The nearby Three Rivers Public Health Department also saw an uptick in 2024, and then a slowing down this year.

“So January through December, we had a total of 37, and this year to date, we have only had a total of 19,” said Terra Uhing, executive director for the Three Rivers Public Health Department, which covers Dodge, Saunders and Washington counties. “We've only had three cases now so far this year that have been reported since summer. So that's indicating a slowdown even after school had resumed.”

While cases have slowed, Uhing said pertussis still remains present within the department’s coverage area. After looking at last year's uptick, Uhing said they determined it wasn’t a lack of vaccinations, but waning immunity instead.

“It was kind of interesting for us, because when we went through and we looked at our cases, most of our cases were in that 11- to 14-year-of-age range,” said Uhing. “So that just went to show us that we're like, okay, we think there had been immunity. So it was just waning immunity, rather than lack of vaccination.”

Doctors recommend that within the first few years of life, infants receive a five-dose series of immunizations called DTaP, which stands for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. When the child gets older, around 11 or 12, they should receive the Tdap booster, which lasts around 7 to 10 years.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department has similar recommendations.

“I think that's what we're trying to get the message out, that people do have to stay up to date. So on the adult side, if it's been more than seven years since they've had their Tdap, that puts them at risk for pertussis,” said Health Director Kerry Kernen.

She said their coverage area saw a very similar spike, then a trailing off of cases, with a spike of 67 cases at the beginning of this year, but only five cases since April.

On the other side of the state, Myra Stoney, health director for the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department, said she’s only seen five cases all year, which she attributed to strong vaccination numbers.

“For kindergartners, our health district was 93.76% vaccinated, which is very good,” said Stoney, referring to data from the 2023-2024 school year. “And then for the seventh graders, [they] get the Tdap, and so they were sitting at 93%, which is also very good.”

Stoney said she has noticed a slowing down of immunization and more vaccination hesitancy within her department’s nine-county coverage area.

“We do vaccination clinics in Hitchcock County, Hayes County, Frontier County, Red Willow County, Chase County, and then we have an office in Keith County,” said Stoney. “And when we're going out to the public or, you know, to our public vaccination clinics, there's fewer people coming in.”

Stoney, as well as the other health directors, said they urge parents to reach out to a health care professional if they have questions about vaccines, and to stay home if they or their children are feeling ill.