2012 was worst year for whooping cough since 1955

January 4, 2013 by Mike Stobbe in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Health officials say 2012 was the nation's worst year for whooping cough in nearly six decades.

About 42,000 cases were reported last year, the most since 1955. But the is still , and the number could rise to as much as 50,000.

Whooping cough tends to run in multi-year cycles, and experts say last year appears to have been a peak. Also, a newer version of the vaccine doesn't last as long as expected.

The good news: Deaths from the disease were down last year, to 18. Experts think that doctors were faster at diagnosing and treating the disease during outbreaks.

Whopping cough used to be a bigger problem until a vaccine was developed in the 1940s.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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