Health
With whooping cough cases on the rise, do you need a booster vaccine?
As whooping cough cases are surging globally, some may wonder if it’s necessary to get a booster.
Cases of the childhood respiratory disease also known as pertussis are surging internationally and in parts of the U.S., according to a recent report.
Bordetella pertussis is a type of bacteria that causes a very contagious respiratory infection that spreads from person to person through small respiratory droplets, per the CDC.
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“Reports indicate that whooping cough outbreaks are surging across Europe, Asia and parts of the United States, including Northern California, marking the largest uptick since 2012, with cases rising sharply since December,” Maggie Rae, president of the Royal Society of Medicine’s epidemiological and public health section in London, told Fox News Digital.
Bordetella pertussis is a type of bacteria that causes a contagious respiratory infection that spreads from person to person through small respiratory droplets, per the CDC. (iStock)
Prevalence of cases
In the U.K., there were an estimated 555 cases in January of this year and 913 cases in February — compared to 858 cases for all of 2023, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Cases in China totaled more than 15,000 this January. That’s 15 times higher than the same time period last year, reports stated.
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“Concerns are mounting in Europe, especially in the Netherlands, where 1,800 cases were reported in the first two weeks of April, leading to four deaths, with declining childhood vaccination rates cited as a possible cause by public health officials,” Rae said.
“This is a very important public health issue, and I would urge those members of the public who require a vaccine for pertussis to take this up.”
Whooping cough is mostly controlled in the United States, although “breakthrough cases” can occur in people who are fully vaccinated.
Cases of the childhood respiratory disease known as whooping cough or pertussis are surging internationally and in parts of the U.S., according to a recent report. (iStock)
Clusters of cases in certain parts of the U.S. are expected for this time of year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There have been small “clusters” of cases of whooping cough in the U.S., extending from San Francisco to New York City.
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A Catholic high school in San Francisco, California, has reported more than 12 cases since January, according to local reports.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene estimated 244 cases from Oct. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024.
That’s a 200% increase compared to the same time period in the prior year, a recent health advisory stated.
“This is a very important public health issue.”
Most unvaccinated cases involved infants, while most vaccinated individuals were school-aged children.
A majority of adults had an unknown vaccination history, the advisory noted.
The U.S. typically has approximately 20,000 cases of pertussis per year. Yet as people donned masks and practiced physical distancing during the pandemic, annual cases dropped to 6,124 in 2020 and 2,116 in 2021, according to the CDC.
Symptoms and risk factors
Clusters of cases often occur where there are large groups of young people, such as child care centers and schools.
“The symptoms of pertussis are initially like a cold, with a runny nose, and progress to a cough,” Jennifer Duchon, M.D., hospital epidemiologist and director of antimicrobial stewardship at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in New York, told Fox News Digital.
Patients tend to develop a cough that can become severe — sometimes to the point of vomiting, Duchon said.
Health care providers typically test for the disease with a nasal swab. (iStock)
“The characteristic ‘whooping’ sound is a gasp that is made when trying to breathe after a long episode of coughing,” she added.
The cough can linger for weeks after a person catches pertussis.
When outbreaks occur, babies are at a high risk of getting sick and dying from the infection, health officials warn.
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“Pertussis is most severe in infants 6 months of age or less, especially in infants who were born preterm or are not immunized,” Duchon said.
“Young infants can have a severe cough that impairs their ability to breathe, and can lead to episodes where they vomit, struggle to breathe or even cease breathing after bouts of coughing.”
Patients tend to develop a cough that can become severe — sometimes to the point of vomiting, a doctor said. “The characteristic ‘whooping’ sound is a gasp that is made when trying to breathe after a long episode of coughing.” (iStock)
Babies often won’t make that whooping sound, so a warning sign is when their face turns blue as they struggle to breathe, the CDC noted.
The infection can progress to bacterial pneumonia or a condition called pulmonary hypertension, in which heart function is affected by the disease, Duchon warned.
Treatment and prevention
Health care providers typically test for the disease with a nasal swab.
“If pertussis is caught early, patients can take an antibiotic called azithromycin, but this only helps make the disease less severe and does not cure the disease,” Duchon noted.
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“If someone is exposed to pertussis and is at risk for severe disease or had a lot of contact with the ill person, doctors will sometimes recommend a short course of an antibiotic to act as a ‘prophylaxis’ against the disease.”
Currently, there are two kinds of vaccines for whooping cough available in the U.S., according to the CDC.
“The best way to prevent the disease is to make sure that all family members and health care workers are up-to-date on their vaccinations — not only for pertussis, but also other vaccine-preventable diseases,” Duchon told Fox News Digital.
“Children should get their primary series of vaccines at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months, and then at 15 months through 18 months, and at 4 years through 6 years,” a doctor advised. (iStock)
The DTaP vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
The DTaP vaccine is for babies, while the Tdap “booster” vaccine is for pre-teens, teenagers and adults, per the CDC.
“Before vaccination became available, the disease used to be a major cause of mortality in young children,” Duchon noted.
Specific vaccine recommendations
Due to the high risk to babies, the CDC recommends that pregnant women receive the Tdap vaccine during the 27th and 36th week of pregnancy, regardless of their prior vaccination status.
This prevents 78% of cases in infants younger than 2 months old and decreases hospitalization by 90% for infants younger than 2 months old who are infected with pertussis, according to the CDC.
“Everyone in close contact with a very young infant should be vaccinated against pertussis.”
It is recommended that babies get immunized with the DTaP vaccine series, which provides immunity for three separate infectious diseases — diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
“Children should get their primary series of vaccines at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months, and then at 15 months through 18 months, and at 4 years through 6 years,” Duchon advised.
The Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. (iStock)
Adolescents should receive the Tdap vaccine at 11 to 12 years old to boost their immunity, the CDC recommends.
In children who receive the full series, 98% have full protection against the infection within a year after the last dose, but the response decreases to 71% after five years, the agency states.
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As pertussis immunity wanes from the original vaccination series in childhood, adults should get regular boosters, Monica Gandhi, M.D., professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at UCSF/ San Francisco General Hospital, told Fox News Digital.
“Although the exact frequency of the need for booster vaccination has not been precisely worked out, we recommend a tetanus vaccine every 10 years,” she said.
The DTaP vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. (iStock)
As the pertussis vaccine comes formulated with tetanus immunization in the form of the Tdap vaccine, many practitioners recommend a pertussis vaccine every 10 years when the booster for tetanus is provided, according to Gandhi.
Other providers may only recommend routine pertussis boosters in certain circumstances, such as for pregnant women or adults who have never been vaccinated, Duchon added.
“Everyone in close contact with a very young infant should be vaccinated against pertussis,” she said.
“We call this strategy ‘cocooning,’ where those around the baby form a protective wall against the disease.”
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In a dramatic turn of events that’s captured the attention of animal lovers worldwide, Punch — the young macaque at a zoo in Japan famous for his inseparable bond with a stuffed orangutan toy — has reached a major milestone in his journey toward social integration.
On Thursday, visitors and staff at the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden witnessed a breakthrough: Punch was seen cuddling with and hitching a ride on the back of a fellow macaque.
Punch’s story began with hardship. He was abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth in July 2025 — and to ensure his survival, zookeepers stepped in to hand-rear the primate.
On Jan. 19, 2026, the zoo officially began the process of reintegrating Punch into the “monkey mountain” enclosure.
The transition was initially fraught with tension.
Punch’s story began with hardship when he was abandoned by his mother shortly after he was born. To help him, zookeepers gave him a stuffed toy that he began dragging around everywhere he went. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
As a hand-reared infant, Punch was bullied and ignored by the established group of monkeys.
He was often seen huddled alone with his orange plush companion while the rest of the troop interacted.
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In an official statement released Feb. 27, the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden detailed the meticulous care behind this process.
Previous viral videos showed Punch bullied by the rest of the troop, running to his plushy toy for comfort. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“From an animal welfare perspective, our primary goal is to reintegrate Punch with the troop,” the zoo said.
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The strategy involved nursing Punch within the enclosure, so the troop could recognize him as one of their own, and pairing him with a gentle young female macaque prior to his full release to build his confidence.
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The latest footage, captured by X user @tate_gf, suggested the zoo’s patience is paying off.
The video shows Punch seeking physical contact not from his toy, but from another monkey — eventually climbing onto its back for a vital social behavior for young macaques: the “piggyback ride.”
The zoo’s strategy appears to be paying off: Punch, shown at far left, was recently seen riding on the back of a fellow macaque. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Punch still carries his stuffed toy for comfort during moments of perceived danger, the zoo remains optimistic about his progress.
The organization cited the successful 2009 case of Otome, another hand-reared macaque who eventually outgrew her stuffed toy, successfully integrated — and went on to raise four offspring of her own.
The zoo has had crowds coming to see Punch, with hundreds of people lining up to get inside to see the young star, according to reports.
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“I’m hoping Punch has a good life like everybody else does, and think he’s a cute little guy,” one person commented online.
“Such a precious baby,” another person wrote.
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice.
In January, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool.
The company introduced the tool as “a dedicated experience that securely brings your health information and ChatGPT’s intelligence together, to help you feel more informed, prepared and confident navigating your health.”
But researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that the tool failed to recommend emergency care for a “significant number” of serious medical cases.
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Feb. 23, aimed to explore how ChatGPT Health — which is reported to have about 40 million users daily — handles situations where people are asking whether to seek emergency care.
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice. (iStock)
“Right now, no independent body evaluates these products before they reach the public,” lead author Ashwin Ramaswamy, M.D., instructor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
“We wouldn’t accept that for a medication or a medical device, and we shouldn’t accept it for a product that tens of millions of people are using to make health decisions.”
Emergency scenarios
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies.
Three independent physicians then assigned an appropriate level of urgency for each case, based on published clinical practice guidelines in 56 medical societies.
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The researchers conducted 960 interactions with ChatGPT Health to see how the tool responded, taking into account gender, race, barriers to care and “social dynamics.”
While “clear-cut emergencies” — such as stroke or severe allergy — were generally handled well, the researchers found that the tool “under-triaged” many urgent medical issues.
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies. (iStock)
For example, in one asthma scenario, the system acknowledged that the patient was showing early signs of respiratory failure — but still recommended waiting instead of seeking emergency care.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum — the cases where getting it right matters most,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “It under-triaged over half of genuine emergencies and over-triaged roughly two-thirds of mild cases that clinical guidelines say should be managed at home.”
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Under-triage can be life-threatening, the doctor noted, while over-triage can overwhelm emergency departments and delay care for those in real need.
Researchers also identified inconsistencies in suicide risk alerts. In some cases, it directed users to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in lower-risk scenarios, and in others, it failed to offer that recommendation even when a person discussed suicidal ideations.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum.”
“The suicide guardrail failure was the most alarming,” study co-author Girish N. Nadkarni, M.D., chief AI officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm, the researcher noted.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool, in January 2026. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We tested it with a 27-year-old patient who said he’d been thinking about taking a lot of pills,” Nadkarni said. “When he described his symptoms alone, the banner appeared 100% of the time. Then we added normal lab results — same patient, same words, same severity — and the banner vanished.”
“A safety feature that works perfectly in one context and completely fails in a nearly identical context … is a fundamental safety problem.”
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The researchers were also surprised by the social influence aspect.
“When a family member in the scenario said ‘it’s nothing serious’ — which happens all the time in real life — the system became nearly 12 times more likely to downplay the patient’s symptoms,” Nadkarni said. “Everyone has a spouse or parent who tells them they’re overreacting. The AI shouldn’t be agreeing with them during a potential emergency.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Open AI, creator of ChatGPT, requesting comment.
Physicians react
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, called the new study “important.”
“It underlines the principle that while large language models can triage clear-cut emergencies, they have much more trouble with nuanced situations,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, a doctor said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.” (iStock)
“This is where doctors and clinical judgment come in — knowing the nuances of a patient’s history and how they report symptoms and their approach to health.”
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, Siegel said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.”
“Machine learning and continued input of data can help, but will never compensate for the essential problem – human judgment is needed to decide whether something is a true emergency or not.”
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Dr. Harvey Castro, an emergency physician and AI expert in Texas, echoed the importance of the study, calling it “exactly the kind of independent safety evaluation we need.”
“Innovation moves fast. Oversight has to move just as fast,” Castro, who also did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital. “In healthcare, the most dangerous mistakes happen at the extremes, when something looks mild but is actually catastrophic. That’s where clinical judgment matters most, and where AI must be stress-tested.”
Study limitations
The researchers acknowledged some potential limitations in the study design.
“We used physician-written clinical scenarios rather than real patient conversations, and we tested at a single point in time — these systems update frequently, so performance may change,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital.
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Additionally, most of the missed emergencies happened in situations where the danger depended on how the condition was changing over time. It’s not clear whether the same problem would happen with acute medical emergencies.
Because the system had to choose just one fixed urgency category, the test may not reflect the more nuanced advice it might give in a back-and-forth conversation, the researchers noted.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm. (iStock)
Also, the study wasn’t large enough to confidently detect small differences in how recommendations might vary by race or gender.
“We need continuous auditing, not one-time studies,” Castro noted. “These systems update frequently, so evaluation must be ongoing.”
‘Don’t wait’
The researchers emphasized the importance of seeking immediate care for serious issues.
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“If something feels seriously wrong — chest pain, difficulty breathing, a severe allergic reaction, thoughts of self-harm — go to the emergency department or call 988,” Ramaswamy advised. “Don’t wait for an AI to tell you it’s OK.”
The researchers noted that they support the use of AI to improve healthcare access, and that they didn’t conduct the study to “tear down the technology.”
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“These tools can be genuinely useful for the right things — understanding a diagnosis you’ve already received, looking up what your medications do and their side effects, or getting answers to questions that didn’t get fully addressed in a short doctor’s visit,” Ramaswamy said.
“That’s a very different use case from deciding whether you need emergency care. Treat them as a complement to your doctor, not a replacement.”
“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare.”
Castro agreed that the benefits of AI health tools should be weighed against the risks.
“AI health tools can increase access, reduce unnecessary visits and empower patients with information,” he said. “They are not inherently unsafe, but they are not yet substitutes for clinical judgment.”
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“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare,” he went on. “It means we mature it. Independent testing and stronger guardrails will determine whether AI becomes a safety net or a liability.”
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