Santa Fe province health officials are reporting encouraging news in teh fight against whooping cough, with a sustained decline in both confirmed and probable cases following concerns earlier in 2025. The latest epidemiological report indicates the peak has passed, though experts caution that the risk remains, notably for vulnerable infants, and continued vigilance is crucial. The report details a concentration of cases in the Rosario department, accounting for nearly 80% of confirmed infections, and highlights a tragic case – the death of a one-month-old who hadn’t received vaccination – underscoring the importance of maternal immunization.
Health officials in Santa Fe are reporting a sustained decline in confirmed and probable cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, following a period of increased concern earlier in 2025. This news comes as a relief, as whooping cough can be particularly dangerous for infants and young children.
The latest epidemiological report from the province indicates that the peak of cases has passed, with a noticeable downward trend in new notifications.
While this trend is encouraging, public health experts emphasize that the risk has not disappeared and that continued prevention efforts are crucial.
Progressive Decline
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According to the Epidemiological Report prepared by the Ministry of Health of the province, between epidemiological weeks (EW) 1 and 51 of 2025, 357 suspected cases of whooping cough were reported in Santa Fe. Of these, 71 were confirmed and 12 were classified as probable.
Analysis of the epidemic curve clearly shows that the highest concentration of cases occurred within a limited number of weeks, coinciding with the winter and early spring periods – a pattern historically observed with this disease.
Following a sustained increase that led to the peak of confirmed and probable cases, notifications began to decline progressively.
In the most recent weeks included in the bulletin, the number of new cases is considerably lower compared to the period of highest circulation, marking a break in the upward trend observed in previous months.
Provincial Epidemiology officials explain that this decline may be associated with multiple factors, including strengthened surveillance efforts, timely reporting of suspected cases, early diagnosis, and, importantly, the impact of vaccination.
Who Was Most Affected
The report details that whooping cough affected people of all ages, from one month old to adults over 68 years. However, the age group with the highest number of confirmed cases was children under one year old, with 25 records, which refocuses attention on the vulnerability of infants to this respiratory illness.
The distribution by age, reflected in the official tables, also shows a significant presence of cases in children, adolescents, and young adults, confirming that whooping cough is not an exclusive childhood disease.
In many of these groups, the clinical presentation may be milder, but the risk of transmission to young babies – who have not yet completed their vaccination schedule – remains high.
Geographically, the Rosario department accounted for nearly 80% of confirmed cases, followed at a distance by La Capital and other departments with fewer notifications. This territorial concentration is also observed in the report’s charts, which show how the outbreak behaved in a localized manner, although with provincial impact.
Contrast with the Latest Bulletin
One of the most relevant data points in the report is the comparison between the weeks with the highest notification rates and the current situation. While several confirmed cases were recorded each week during the peak, the latest bulletin shows a noticeable drop in the curve, with fewer new diagnoses and less pressure on the healthcare system.
At the national level, the overall picture also helps to contextualize what happened in the province. A total of 930 cases of whooping cough have been confirmed throughout the country as of 2025, a figure higher than that recorded in several previous years, with a cumulative incidence of 1.96 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
This widespread increase partially explains the impact of the disease in Santa Fe during the most critical months.
Vaccination and Prevention
Whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease. The vaccination schedule includes doses in infancy, boosters in adolescence, and the triple bacterial acellular vaccine during pregnancy, which is essential to protect newborns during their first months of life.
The provincial report recalls a sensitive data point: during 2025, the death of a one-month-old baby with a diagnosis of whooping cough was recorded, who had not received the vaccine because they were not yet at the indicated age, and whose mother had no history of vaccination during pregnancy.
This case reinforces the public health message about the importance of maternal vaccination as a strategy for indirect protection.
The Ministry of Health insists that the current decline in cases should not be interpreted as the end of the problem, but as an opportunity to strengthen coverage and prevent new peaks.
Mandatory reporting of suspected cases, timely diagnosis, and adherence to the vaccination schedule remain the main tools for sustaining the downward trend shown by the latest data.
