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Pasadena residents tested positive for whooping cough, a highly contagious respiratory disease that could be fatal to infants after visiting the Kids Space Children’s Museum last week.
The Pasadena Public Health Department announced the infection on Thursday as cases of coughing cough continue to rise across the US. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 8,470 cases reported nationwide in 2025, roughly twice the cases reported at the same time last year.
Health officials monitored anyone who visited the kids’ space from 1:30pm to 5pm on April 25, especially those who monitored the children, for symptoms such as runny nose, low-grade fever and difficulty breathing.
Those who feel sick after visiting the museum between these windows are encouraged to visit a healthcare provider and avoid contact with babies and pregnant women. Infections can be seen with nose swabs.
High-risk individuals, such as fewer than one infant or pregnant women, may need preventive antibiotics even if they do not show symptoms, health officials said.
According to the CDC, pertussis is caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella Pretussis, which can attack the upper respiratory tract system and inflate the airways.
Symptoms usually begin five to three weeks after exposure to a mild cold and a fever below 100.4 degrees. In severe cases, symptoms proceed to fit cough, causing suffocating sounds and vomiting. Toddlers may not show the legendary whooping cough cough due to difficulty breathing, but they change blue, red, or gags.
According to the state health department, California’s pertussis was more than four times more cases last year. Over the past six months, two babies from Louisiana and a five-year-old from Washington have passed away from illness.
There is a vaccine for whooping cough. As early as two months, the baby will win the first one in a series of DTAP shots. This also protects against diphtheria and tetanus. The vaccine is administered again at 4 months, 6 months, and 15-18 months, once again at 4-6 years old, with the child being administered again.
The vaccine series is part of school and enting vaccination requirements in all 50 states, and booster shots are recommended for pregnant women.
Experts attribute the increase in infections to a decline in vaccination rates. Last year, the percentage of children who received vaccination exemptions at schools and schools across the country reached an all-time high of 3.3%, according to the CDC.
“Unfortunately, anti-vaccine sentiment is on the rise in the United States,” Dr. Erica Hayes, who works at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press. “Our recovery isn’t as fast as we expected, and we needed it. And once again, if you go below 95% for vaccination, you lose the immune protection of that herd.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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