Pertussis is caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, which easily spreads between people through direct contact or via droplets from someone's mouth or nose.
The pertussis vaccine has been part of the routine child immunization schedule for decades, and cases have dropped about 90 percent from their height during the prevaccine era.
With more than 16,000 reported in the U.S. this year, cases are rising significantly, exceeding numbers from the same period last year.
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