Whooping cough cases were lower than usual during the pandemic — but with the return to normalcy comes a spike in cases.

Whooping cough is surging in the United States, with cases now five times higher than they were at the same point last year, according to preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was reported Friday.

Pregnant women are being urged to get a whooping cough jab after an increase in cases. In Redcar there were 20 cases of the infection in the last year compared to none the previous year and Middlesbrough there was a rise from one to 45 in the same period.

According to the state health department website cases are up by 186 percent. The infection, also called Pertussis, can be dangerous for adults and young kids.School districts are on the lookout because cases have already been reported in Sioux Falls and Harrisburg in the last two weeks.

Whooping cough is highly contagious, especially for infants. Vaccination and hygiene are essential to prevent its spread.

In Illinois, 1,058 cases have been reported so far this year, compared to just 199 at this time last year. Dr. David Nguyen, an infectious diseases specialist at Rush University System for Health, says whooping cough can be dangerous with infants.

Cases of West Nile virus, dengue, Oropouche virus and deadly Eastern equine encephalitis have all been reported in the U.S. this summer. James McGinniss has been obsessed with decarbonization and the energy grid since he was a high schooler over a decade ago.

The CDC is raising concerns about a spike in whooping cough cases across the country, and Illinois is no exception.