Whooping cough soars in the country; vaccination rates are low

Mexico is facing a surge in cases of whooping cough—a vaccine-preventable disease—with 1,252 confirmed infections as of epidemiological week 29 (July 28), more than double the 550 cases recorded in all of 2024, according to the federal Ministry of Health (SSA). This comes amid a decline in vaccinations against the disease in recent years.

According to SSA figures, the increase in cases between 2024 and July 2025 is 127.6 percent. This means that the incidence of the disease increased, during the same periods, from 0.41 to 4.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Furthermore, this year's figure already far exceeds the pre-pandemic historical average, which was around 900 cases per year between 2016 and 2019.

States with the most cases

Of the 1,252 confirmed cases this year, four states account for 30%: Mexico City (129), Chihuahua (124), Nuevo León (118) and Aguascalientes (99).

In terms of incidence, Aguascalientes leads the list with 6.49 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Chihuahua (3.13), Nuevo León (1.97) and the country's capital (1.45).

The municipality of Aguascalientes, along with Guadalupe, Nuevo León, and Juárez, Chihuahua, together report 16.5% of the national cases, reinforcing the geographic pattern of the outbreak.

In contrast, Tabasco was the only state that did not report any cases during 2025, although it had reported infections in 2024.

Deaths increase

The disease's fatality rate has also increased in Mexico. As of week 29, 59 deaths have been recorded, all in children under one year of age without vaccination history; 90.56% of them in infants under six months old. This figure almost doubled the 32 deaths recorded in all of 2024, demonstrating the severity of the ongoing outbreak.

Deaths are distributed across 19 states, with the highest fatality rates in Puebla (42.9%), Tamaulipas (13.3%), Jalisco (13.2%), Baja California Sur (10.0%) and Campeche (9.5%).

In addition, a slight majority of deaths were observed in women (59%), which, according to experts, could be related to immunization patterns and access to health services.

Vaccination on the decline

Meanwhile, data sent by Mexico to the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that 2024—the latest year for which information is available—was the year with the lowest percentage of first-dose vaccinations since 2000.

According to figures released by the WHO, the administration of the first dose of the DTP vaccine (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) has been declining for two years. In 2022, the number of doses reported for the target population—pregnant women and minors—reached 92.96 percent. In 2023, the figure dropped to 88.93 percent, and in 2024, the figure stood at 82.58 percent.

The SSA's most recent epidemiological information bulletin acknowledges that "in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiological surveillance of whooping cough decreased, with a decrease in the reporting of probable and confirmed cases. This decrease in reporting continued until 2023."

In this context, it calls for intensified vaccination campaigns in high-risk municipalities, migration corridors, tourist areas, and areas with confirmed cases, including the peridomiciliary administration of hexavalent vaccines (in children under 1 year of age) and DPT in older children and pregnant women.

Tuberculosis vaccines two months late

The supply of tuberculosis vaccines in Mexico remains two months behind schedule, revealed Federal Health Secretary David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz.

In presidential press conferences yesterday, the federal official dismissed the possibility that the delay in the delivery of BCG vaccines for the disease would cause greater harm to the population, as it can be administered to infants between 0 and 4 years of age.

"The BCG vaccine must be administered at birth. However, it can be administered within four years.

"The main supplier of BCG vaccines changed its production facility, and this has affected not only Mexico but also other countries: Australia, China, and other countries, and has caused a two-month delay," he said.

Kershenobich added that the Mexican government currently has a total of 3.4 million BCG vaccines in its inventory, which are undergoing safety validation by the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris).

"When we changed the production site, the health registration changed; so the health registration process takes about four weeks. And then it will be available: 3.4 million vaccines, which will last us two years of vaccinating children," he said, insisting that "children are not at risk because they can be vaccinated from birth to four years old."

Tuberculosis is a disease that spreads through the air from person to person and primarily causes lung problems, although it can also affect the kidneys, spine, and brain.