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 his state 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 long speculated on the possible negative side effects of MMR vaccines.
“As you acknowledged, ‘measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness with certain health risks, especially to unvaccinated individuals.’ The same is true for pertussis. Among those hospitalized in Louisiana, 75 percent were either unvaccinated or not up to date on pertussis vaccinations,” the Louisiana Republican wrote.
The Hill has reached out to HHS for comment.
Infections can be prevented with a Tdap vaccine, which is effective against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. While infants cannot get the shot, expecting mothers can confer some protection to newborns by receiving the shot during their pregnancy.
“I want to work together to stop pertussis. Your strong public support for this vaccine will save lives,” Cassidy added.
“Your words are a powerful tool in protecting the health of the American people. Families responded to your decisive leadership when you clearly promoted the MMR vaccine to stop the outbreak in West Texas,” he continued. “They would respond again to your call that the DTaP vaccine is the best way to protect our babies. We can ensure that no child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease.”
Cassidy’s request comes about a week after he and Kennedy got into a heated exchange over the latter’s vaccine policy changes. At the Senate hearing, Cassidy once again brought up concerns about restricted access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as possible conflicts of interest within the recently remade vaccine panel at the CDC.
