WORCESTER, Mass. - A highly contagious respiratory illness is on the rise in Massachusetts. Cases of whooping cough are surging to pre-pandemic levels.

Pertussis is commonly known as whooping cough because of the sound patients make when they cough. 

Cases of pertussis remained low during the pandemic, but a family medicine physician at UMass Memorial Health said most people have stopped masking and there has been a decline of people getting vaccinated. 

The state Department of Public Health reported 66 cases of whooping cough between 2020 and 2023. They said there have been 594 confirmed cases so far this year. About half were reported in August, September and October. 

UMass recommends people get vaccinated and go to the doctors if they think they have whooping cough. 

"When the affected person coughs or sneezes, they release these small particles with the bacteria in them and then other people can breathe in those bacteria and then these bacteria can then spread then other people are spending a lot of time together or sharing breathing spaces” said Dr. Manju Mahajan of UMass Memorial Health. “If somebody is exposed to pertussis, then they should reach out to their doctors because there are some people who are eligible to get post-exposure prophylaxis or treatment, for them to not get a severe infection or acquired the disease."

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 18,000 cases. The numbers haven’t been this high since 2019.