PAHO warns of growing pertussis threat amid regional vaccination gaps

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) renewed its urgent call on December 9, 2025, for countries in the Americas to close whooping cough vaccination gaps amid a sharp resurgence of the disease, also known as pertussis. The appeal followed PAHO’s latest epidemiological update, which shows that cases have been rising steadily across the region since 2023. Reported pertussis cases climbed from a low of 3,284 in 2022 to 11,202 in 2023 and 66,184 in 2024, with ten countries recording increases through November 2025.
PAHO attributes the resurgence to immunization shortfalls that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when regional DTP3 coverage for infants fell to 81%, its lowest level in two decades. While coverage recovered slightly to 87% in 2024, significant gaps remain: only 21 countries reached PAHO’s 95% DTP1 coverage target, and 4 countries reported coverage below 80%. Children under 12 months old account for 30–40% of cases in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia. Outbreaks have also disproportionately affected Indigenous and rural communities due to lower vaccination coverage. Belize has not reported recent pertussis cases, with the last noted exposures dating to a 2018 visitor and suspected cases in 2012.
The resurgence reflects global trends, with worldwide cases increasing from 167,407 in 2023 to 977,000 in 2024, mainly driven by spikes in the Western Pacific (591,193 cases) and Europe (296,543). PAHO links this surge to weakened surveillance systems and missed childhood and adolescent booster doses, urging countries to restore and sustain vaccination coverage above 95% and ensure doses for pregnant women and health-care workers.
“Whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease, but its resurgence highlights gaps in immunization and epidemiological surveillance,” said Dr. Daniel Salas, PAHO’s Executive Manager of Integrated Immunization. “Timely and complete vaccination, together with robust surveillance, is the most effective strategy to prevent whooping cough—a disease that can cause severe illness, complications, or even death, especially in unvaccinated children under one year.”
PAHO warns that without strengthened action, outbreaks risk escalating into 2026 as complete 2025 data becomes available. The organization is calling on countries to reinforce surveillance, laboratory confirmation, timely isolation, antibiotic treatment, and clear public health messaging to protect vulnerable populations and prevent deaths.