Australia is confronting a significant resurgence of whooping cough, with national case counts reaching their highest levels since surveillance began in 1991 and health officials warning the outbreak may yet intensify.

Latest figures show that more than fifty-seven thousand cases were recorded in 2024, eclipsing any annual total in more than three decades, and early data for 2025 suggest tens of thousands more infections, predominantly among older children and adults.

Public health experts attribute the surge to a complex mix of factors that have altered the disease’s epidemiology.

Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, circulates endemically in Australia with cyclical peaks every three to four years, but the current wave has substantially exceeded typical epidemic expectations.

Disruptions to routine childhood immunisation programmes and reduced natural exposure to infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to waning immunity across the community, leaving larger pools of susceptible people vulnerable to infection.

Vaccination coverage in Australia, while still comparatively high, has slipped below the national target of ninety-five per cent, and even small declines in uptake can have outsized effects on transmission of this highly contagious respiratory pathogen.

The protective effect of the vaccine itself diminishes over time, meaning that without regular booster doses immunity fades, particularly in older children and adults who may then serve as reservoirs for spread.

Health authorities have underscored that the disease poses its greatest risk to the youngest infants, who are too young to complete the initial vaccination schedule and are more likely to experience severe outcomes, including hospitalisation and complications such as pneumonia or seizures.

Pertussis in older children and adults typically presents as a prolonged cough, but these cases contribute to transmission within households and communities.

Surveillance reports indicate particularly marked increases in regions such as Queensland and Western Australia’s Kimberley, and responses across states include reinforced vaccination campaigns, public education on booster schedules, and calls for pregnant people to receive immunisation during pregnancy to confer early protection to newborns.

Clinicians emphasise that maintaining up-to-date booster vaccinations for caregivers, healthcare workers and those in frequent contact with infants is crucial to curbing the outbreak.

As Australia navigates this record whooping cough surge, public health messaging continues to focus on immunisation and vigilance to protect vulnerable populations, especially in the context of broader post-pandemic shifts in infectious disease dynamics.