2013 saw the largest Pertussis outbreak in Texas since the 1950s — the majority in the north and west of the state. Of the 3,621 cases, more than 400 people were hospitalized, and five children died. Pertussis, like measles and other diseases that vaccines nearly eradicated, was once again a major public health threat. The question was why? Fewer people vaccinated, lack of herd immunity, and the waning effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine had all conspired to help a once-rare disease like whooping cough come roaring back.
