Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to publicly support the whooping cough vaccine as Louisiana experiences one of the worst outbreaks in recent history.

In 2024, six times the number of whooping cough — or pertussis — cases were recorded than the prior year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases peaked in November 2024, but they have remained high since then.

Louisiana has seen elevated cases this year, with two infants dying of whooping cough in April. In a letter to Kennedy, Cassidy noted the secretary had spoken about the benefits of MMR vaccines during the measles outbreak in West Texas earlier this year. Kennedy has lo

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