Infectious diseases experts say many Americans fell behind on their whooping cough vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they say has compounded the recent uptick in cases.

14,569 cases of whooping cough have been reported in total for 2024 so far — four times higher than the agency's reported totals from this time last year. Whooping cough can last for weeks to months, with symptoms normally appearing about a week after first being exposed to a contagious person with the infection.

Whooping cough cases are climbing at the fastest pace in years as students across America return to school, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.