Whooping cough cases double in the U.S., a potential legacy of the pandemic

Rates of whooping cough, like those of some other infectious diseases, declined soon after the start of the pandemic, as people wore masks and practiced social distancing, precautions that many have ceased, experts said. But during the early months of the pandemic, when people feared being exposed to the coronavirus in a doctor’s office, some children may have missed vaccination appointments, leaving them vulnerable to future infections. Whooping cough, which draws its name from the sound the infected make when trying to breathe after coughing, begins much like an ordinary...