As whooping cough cases surge across the United States, a mother who lost her newborn son to the disease spoke to Newsweek.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria that involves coughing fits and is particularly dangerous for young children.
"Brady was born on November 20, [2012], weighing a healthy 8 pounds, 6 ounces," Kathryn Alcaide told Newsweek. "In early January [2013], we started to notice he wasn't quite himself—his symptoms looked like a cold, but when his fever spiked to 104, we rushed him to the ER."
After doctors ran some tests, they sent Brady home. Alcaide said things quickly got worse, so they took him back to the hospital.
"Brady was in critical condition; his heart stopped, and they had to perform chest compressions," said Alcaide. "He was put on a heart and lung bypass machine, and doctors warned us about the possibility of brain injury.
"We prayed he would recover and be a healthy boy again, but tragically, Brady passed away the next day, just shy of two months old."
Symptoms of whooping cough tend to begin with a runny or stuffy nose, a mild fever and an occasional cough, but as the illness progresses, people may experience intense coughing spells and difficulty breathing.
Small babies are particularly at risk of the disease, and some of its more severe symptoms include trouble breathing, pauses in breath, dehydration, pneumonia and seizures.
Vaccinations for whooping cough begin at two months old, so very young babies such as Brady will not have received them yet, and their immune systems are still developing.
Alcaide told Newsweek that she and her husband did everything they thought was right to protect their baby from getting sick.
"We made sure friends and family washed their hands and used hand sanitizer before holding him," she said. "But we didn't realize that those steps wouldn't be enough to protect him from whooping cough."
"Anyone who wasn't vaccinated, even if they didn't seem sick, could have unknowingly spread the disease to Brady," she added.
Cases of whooping cough are on the rise in the United States, according to preliminary data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's website says that more than five times as many cases of whooping cough were reported in 2024 compared to 2023 when looking from January to October of both years.
There are some whooping cough hotspots. Out of more than 19,000 cases nationally, more than a thousand cases have come from Minnesota.
"It's heartbreaking and frustrating to hear that whooping cough cases are rising, especially because this is a vaccine-preventable disease," said Alcaide.
"No family should have to endure the loss of a child from something that could be prevented.
"The increase in cases reminds us how vital it is for people to stay up to date on their vaccinations, not just for their own health, but to protect those who are too young or medically unable to get vaccinated," she said.
Since the death of their son, Alcaide and her husband, Jon, decided to become advocates with Vaccinate Your Family, a nonprofit aiming to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations.
Alcaide said they did so to honor Brady's memory and to help prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy. She added that the cause had helped her grieve and connect with other families.
"We always said that if sharing Brady's story could save even one life, it would bring a sense of purpose and positivity to our loss," she said. She urged people to think deeply about the potential consequences of not getting vaccinated.
"Vaccines are safe, effective, and they're the best way to protect our loved ones and communities," said Alcaide. "It's a choice that makes a real difference."
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