Whooping cough is surging in the United States, with cases now five times higher than they were at the same point last year, according to preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was reported Friday.

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 have gone up in the U.S. compared to last year, according to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week. There have been 14,569 confirmed cases of whooping cough so far this year,