Louisiana’s silence during its deadliest whooping cough outbreak in decades left families asking: why did it take months—and the deaths of two infants—before anyone sounded the alarm?
Story Snapshot
- Louisiana experienced its largest whooping cough outbreak in 35 years, with 368 cases by August 2025.
- Two infants died before health officials issued any public warning, spotlighting a troubling communication delay.
- Vaccine hesitancy and misinformation fueled the crisis, especially among families with young children.
- Experts warn that delayed alerts and low vaccination rates endanger the most vulnerable and erode public trust.
Delayed Warnings Amid Rising Deaths and Outbreaks
Louisiana’s whooping cough outbreak began quietly in September 2024, but by February 2025, the situation turned tragic: two infants died of pertussis, marking the first such deaths in the state since 2018. Despite the grim turn, state health officials withheld public warnings for several months. The delayed response left parents, pediatricians, and communities in the dark, while cases mounted and hospital wards filled with sick infants. By August 2025, the outbreak had reached 368 confirmed cases, vastly exceeding Louisiana’s annual average and surpassing the previous high of 214 cases set in 2013.
Watch: Louisiana’s Delayed Response: Whooping Cough Outbreak Claims Live
Pediatricians, alarmed by the surge and the concentration of severe cases among infants, began urging the public to vaccinate—especially pregnant women and those with young children. Yet, the official call to action only arrived after months of mounting fear and confusion. For families who lost children, the question of what might have been different if the alarm had sounded earlier lingers with painful urgency.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Misinformation: Fuel for the Fire
The wave of illness struck against a backdrop of growing vaccine hesitancy and rampant misinformation. According to state epidemiologist Theresa Sokol, most of those hospitalized were infants under one year old, and 75% of patients by mid-May were either unvaccinated or behind on vaccinations. Nationally, pertussis cases surged from 7,063 in 2023 to over 35,000 in 2024, mirroring Louisiana’s spike. These statistics highlight the critical role of vaccination—not only for individual protection, but for the safety of entire communities.
Louisiana Took Months To Sound Alarm After Two Babies Died in Whooping Cough Outbreak – KFF Health News https://t.co/eRyedYvDWy
— Jess Mador (@jessicamador) November 4, 2025
Pediatricians and health officials repeatedly emphasized the dire consequences of misinformation. Social media and online forums amplified unfounded fears about vaccine safety, making it harder for credible voices to cut through the noise. Families in low-vaccination communities faced higher risks, while healthcare providers struggled to manage the fallout: more hospitalizations, more anxiety, and ultimately, more tragic outcomes.
Public Health Under Scrutiny: Trust and Accountability in Crisis
Louisiana’s public health infrastructure is now under intense scrutiny. The state’s Department of Health, responsible for monitoring outbreaks and issuing alerts, faces criticism for its slow response. Delaying public warnings during a fast-moving outbreak undermines trust, fuels confusion, and can cost lives, especially among society’s youngest and most vulnerable.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics have joined Louisiana’s medical community in urging action, warning that the stakes are higher than ever. The lessons from this outbreak—its deadly silence, its preventable tragedies—echo beyond state borders, challenging health authorities nationwide to rethink how and when they communicate risk.
Sources:
WWNO, “Louisiana’s deadly whooping cough outbreak is now its worst in 35 years”
AAP News, “2 Louisiana infants die of pertussis as infections rise”
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, “Statewide Increase in Pertussis Cases”
