Whooping cough cases in Florida have soared this year, marking an 81% increase from 2024's number. As of Sept. 27, 2025, there have been 1,295 cases reported to the Florida Department of Health (DOH), compared to 715 cases for the entirety of 2024, according to the department's Reportable Diseases Frequency Report. This increase in whooping cough diagnoses has pediatricians worried for children who are too young to be vaccinated or unvaccinated children, who are the most at risk, especially at a time when state leaders have expressed their intent to walk back vaccination requirements in Florida. "We are setting up a cesspool of germs for our kids to walk into," Dr. Tara Williams, a general academic pediatrician with the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida.