Cases of whooping cough are spiking across the country. FOX 7 Austin's Rebecca Thomas was joined by Dr. Meena Iyer, a pediatric hospitalist with Dell Children's Medical Center, to discuss.

Doctors encourage expecting mothers to get whooping cough, also known as pertussis, vaccine to help protect babies after birth.

Pertussis or whooping cough is on the rise in Michigan.On average between 2017 to 2019, fewer than 600 cases were reported.This year alone, 830 cases have been reported across the state.That's according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Rates of whooping cough diagnoses are returning to pre-pandemic levels, with nearly five times the number of cases nationwide since the start of 2024 compared to this time last year, according to CDC data.

Axios Visuals Michigan's health department has seen a tenfold increase in whooping cough reports so far this year, compared with the state's annual average from 2020-2023. Why it matters: The surge in reported pertussis (or whooping cough) cases to 1,