Argentina is grappling with a important resurgence of whooping cough, or pertussis, a highly contagious respiratory illness with a disproportionate impact on infants. Nationally, confirmed cases have more than tripled compared to this time last year, and tragically, the outbreak has already resulted in the deaths of seven children under the age of two, including three newborns [[1]]. Health officials are urging increased vaccination rates to combat the spread of the preventable disease, particularly as cases are rising in multiple provinces across the country.
A concerning surge in whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is sweeping across the country, with cases doubling in the past six weeks and spreading more widely than in the same period last year. Tragically, the outbreak has already claimed the lives of seven children under the age of two, including three newborns, according to national data updated recently.
As of mid-October, health officials had confirmed 333 cases from over 3,400 consultations for symptoms suggestive of the respiratory infection – including persistent and uncontrollable coughing – reported at health centers nationwide. This represents a significant increase from two weeks prior, when 688 confirmed cases were reported from 5,110 notifications submitted to the national epidemiological surveillance system managed by the Ministry of Health.
Beyond the outbreak in Tierra del Fuego, the districts reporting the highest number of suspected cases include Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Salta, Mendoza, Santa Fe, and the city of Buenos Aires. This widespread geographic distribution highlights the growing public health concern.
“Beginning in the first week of July, we observed a new increase, initially linked to the outbreak in Ushuaia and a rise in confirmed cases in the central part of the country, particularly in the province of Buenos Aires,” explained the national health ministry’s epidemiology department. “In recent weeks, this growth has continued, with notifications coming from multiple jurisdictions across the country, predominantly in the central and southern regions – particularly cases related to the outbreak in Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego.”
This year, 19 jurisdictions have confirmed cases, exceeding the numbers seen at this point in 2023. Last year, eight provinces reported 137 positive cases of whooping cough, a respiratory illness typically caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which spreads through coughing, speaking, or sneezing. The disease is preventable with a vaccine included in the national immunization schedule. As previously reported, the current case count is nearly double that of this time last year.
Provincial health authorities, such as those in Santa Fe, are reinforcing communication efforts to increase vaccination rates. They also report that 40% of infections are occurring in infants under one year old, particularly before six months of age. The triple bacterial acellular vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) administered during pregnancy, which was added to the national immunization schedule in 2013, is given starting in the 20th week of gestation. This addition followed a tripling of whooping cough cases and a five-fold increase in infant deaths in 2011, demonstrating the importance of maternal vaccination in protecting newborns.
Four of the seven fatalities this year were infants under six months old, one was under 11 months, and two were under two years of age. According to national health officials, none of the vaccinated children had their doses recorded in the National Immunization Registry (Nomivac), while the three younger than two months had not received maternal vaccination.
The geographic pattern of the disease this year is more similar to that of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, a total of 953 cases of whooping cough were confirmed from over 7,100 notifications. Formosa was the only province that did not report any cases. Currently, Formosa, Chaco, Catamarca, San Luis, and Corrientes remain free of reported infections.
In the past five years, starting in 2020, the circulation of the COVID-19 virus and associated social restrictions impacted the incidence of other respiratory infections. The last documented surge in whooping cough cases occurred in 2023, with 667 positive cases – the majority in Santa Fe – reported from 5,694 notifications. However, the geographic distribution was less extensive than in 2019 and this year. Seven provinces reported no positive cases: Formosa, San Luis, Catamarca, Chaco, Jujuy, Corrientes, and Chubut.
In October, the Argentine Pediatric Society (SAP) issued a warning about the increasing incidence of the disease and once again emphasized the need to increase vaccination coverage, which currently falls below the recommended 95% threshold. The recommended vaccination schedule includes an initial series of three doses (at 2, 4, and 6 months of age), a first booster at 15-18 months with the quíntuple/pentavalent vaccine, a second booster at 5 years with the triple bacterial cellular vaccine, and a third booster at 11 years with a dose of the triple bacterial acellular vaccine (2014 cohort).
“In June, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) alerted about the resurgence of whooping cough cases in the region and urged member states to strengthen their epidemiological surveillance systems and maintain continuous and detailed monitoring of vaccination coverage,” stated members of the SAP’s Epidemiology Committee. “In Argentina, an increase in the number of confirmed cases was already registered at the end of 2024. However, the cases reported to date in 2025 triple those of the previous year.”
According to the organization, the current situation “demands an immediate response to reinforce clinical suspicion, timely diagnostic confirmation, and improve vaccination coverage to control the situation.” The current outbreak underscores the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates to protect vulnerable populations and prevent the spread of this potentially serious respiratory illness.
